Hong Kong greenhouse gas emission inventory for 2020 released
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The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) released today (June 27) the 2020 greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventory for Hong Kong.
Hong Kong's total GHG emissions in 2020 amounted to 33.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e), representing a decrease of about 16 per cent compared with 2019. The major emission reduction is attributable to the decrease in the share of coal in the fuel mix for electricity generation from around 44 per cent in 2019 to around 24 per cent in 2020 (i.e. coal-fired electricity generation decreased by more than 45 per cent in one year), while the share of natural gas increased from 29 per cent to 48 per cent (i.e. gas-fired electricity generation increased by more than 60 per cent in one year).
The total population decreased by about 0.4 per cent in 2020 compared with the 2019 figure. The per capita GHG emissions amounted to about 4.5 tonnes, which was about 16 per cent lower than that in 2019. When compared with the peak of about 6.2 tonnes in 2014, there has been a reduction of about 27 per cent.
The carbon intensity was about 0.013 kilograms of CO2-e per Hong Kong dollar GDP, which was about 10 per cent lower than that in 2019. When compared with the 2005 base year figure, it has been reduced by about 42 per cent.
Electricity generation continued to be the major source of emissions, amounting to 60.4 per cent of the total emissions. Other major emission sources were the transport sector (19.7 per cent) and waste management (8.7 per cent).
Details of the 2020 GHG emission inventory can be found on the EPD website:
www.climateready.gov.hk/page.php?id=23&lang=1.
Ends/Monday, June 27, 2022
Issued at HKT 15:00
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