Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan today attended the Industry Green Development Conference 2023 in Guangzhou and visited its exhibition as well as exchanged views with exhibitors and senior officials.

In his speech, Mr Tse said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050 in 2021, with a view to aligning with the national "dual carbon" targets.

The plan sets out four major decarbonisation strategies: net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction.

Hong Kong is striving to reduce total carbon emissions from the 2005 level by half before 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, the environment chief added.

He also pointed out that achieving carbon neutrality in less than 30 years requires not only support from all sectors of the community in Hong Kong, but also the deepening of regional co-operation within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The Hong Kong SAR Government has been communicating and co-operating with the People's Government of Guangdong Province and the People's Government of Shenzhen Municipality on environmental protection issues through various platforms, including the Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Environmental Protection & Combating Climate Change and the Hong Kong/Shenzhen co-operation working group.

"The Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to combat climate change and accelerate the green transformation and development of the Hong Kong SAR in various aspects, practise sustainable development, integrate into the country's overall development, and contribute to national and global efforts to tackle climate change."

Mr Tse then toured the Industry Green Development Achievement Exhibition 2023 where he met exhibitors from Hong Kong enterprises to discuss promoting green development in the community.

More than 180 Mainland and overseas organisations participated in the exhibition.

During the visit, Mr Tse also met 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee Vice Chairperson and Chinese Peasants & Workers Democratic Party Central Committee Executive Vice Chairperson Yang Zhen as well as MIIT Vice Minister Xin Guobin, Guangdong Province Vice-Governor Lu Yuyin and Guangzhou Vice Mayor Jiang Zhitao, to strengthen exchanges and co-operation in cleaner production, industrial green development, energy saving and carbon emission reduction.

Mr Tse returned to Hong Kong this afternoon.