60th Meeting of APEC Expert Group on Energy Efficiency and Conservation held in Hong Kong (with photos)

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The 60th Meeting of the Expert Group on Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EGEE&C) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is being held in Hong Kong today and tomorrow (March 15 and 16) in hybrid mode.

Delivering a welcoming speech at the meeting today, the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said that Hong Kong was honoured to host the EGEE&C meeting again after 2019 and 2020 to provide a platform for direct dialogue among APEC partners. Ranked consistently as the world's freest economy, Hong Kong has been proactively promoting global economic co-operation. "The launch of the global promotional campaign 'Hello Hong Kong' in February also showed that Hong Kong is 'back', which is evidenced by hosting this significant international meeting," said Mr Tse. "It is encouraging to see over 50 experts and delegates from 11 APEC member economies as well as four international organisations gather again to share insights and exchange experiences with their counterparts after the stabilisation of the epidemic."

Mr Tse indicated that Hong Kong's energy intensity had decreased over 30 per cent from 2005 to 2020. However, as the Asia Pacific region developes, the energy demand and consumption of the region would continue to increase, which may lead to an increase in emissions of greenhouse gases. To achieve carbon neutrality before 2050, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government published the Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050 in October 2021, outlining the strategies and targets for combating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality. The Office of Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality was also set up in January 2023 to strengthen the co-ordination and promotion of decarbonisation work.

The Chairperson of the EGEE&C and Principle Energy Efficiency Advisor of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Mr Vy Ek-chin, delivered the opening remarks at the meeting today. He said that in view of the current progress, it is expected that APEC can meet its regional goal of reducing energy intensity by 45 per cent from 2005 levels in 2034, ahead of the target schedule of 2035. He thanked APEC member economies for their continued efforts to address climate change, and stressed that close co-operation must be maintained in order to meet the challenges posed by climate change.

Ends/Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Issued at HKT 16:33
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