Guest Comments by the Civic Exchange (a public-policy think tank)

HONG KONG -- In response to the Hong Kong Environment Bureau's climate-change consultation, we, with the social and policy research unit of the Department of Social Sciences at the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIED), have proposed ways to improve Hong Kong's measurement of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions.

A HKIED research team observes that how the Hong Kong government calculates the city's GHG emissions does not enable true comparisons with other jurisdictions. Hong Kong doesn't use the same method as nation-states due to its inclusion in China's national report. Some Hong Kong emissions go into China's GHG inventory instead to avoid double counting.

Some emissions are omitted. The method used by Hong Kong leads to a count that fails to reflect its full contribution to climate change. For example, it excludes the emissions embodied in imports from the Chinese mainland or internationally, and from aviation and shipping.

It distorts the true picture, misleading policy-makers and likely reducing the effectiveness of policies.

“Hong Kong's reported per-capita GHG emissions are about six tonnes, but our actual contribution to global warming is two to five times this figure,” said HKIED professor Paul G. Harris. “Because Hong Kong's official emissions inventory includes neither pollution from our consumption of imported food and products, nor pollution from our air travel, the resulting policies will do a poor job to reduce our total contribution to climate change. Only when we include these emissions could our inventory accounting methodology truly reflect Hong Kong's full climate impact and provide an adequate guide to policy making.”

The following recommendations should be implemented:

-- The Hong Kong government should not compare Hong Kong's GHG emissions to those of other territories (cities or states) without using the same methodologies because it creates a false picture.

-- While calculating emissions as part of China's reporting schedule, Hong Kong should compile a GHG inventory that reflects its actual contribution to climate change. This would provide fuller reporting of the emissions linked to consumption in Hong Kong.

-- The government should not overlook mitigation of the environmental impacts of local-consumption patterns and of the emissions embodied in imports.

The Civic Exchange also recommends that Hong Kong should:

-- promote emissions measurement as a core competence. As the world begins to measure GHG emissions from many perspectives (cities and sectors like buildings, transport, waste, electricity generation and IT), Hong Kong should help to lead the way.

-- use public funding to build competence. The government can use direct funding of GHG-measurement projects while building competence in the community.

-- participate in relevant forums. When discussions happen on developing measurement, reporting and verification nationally and internationally, Hong Kong can involve local experts to participate to build competence.