Greenpeace says Hong Kong should not be sidelined from international effort against global warming, as the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that global warming is going to make millions of people suffer from water shortage, famine, spread of diseases and flooding by the end of this century.
The new report was agreed after almost a week of negotiations, at the end of a tense 24-hour marathon session which became increasingly political. Greenpeace says the Working Group II Report in IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report clearly states that sea level rise is going to threaten coastal as well as the delta areas in Asia.
However, Greenpeace says the Hong Kong SAR Government has yet sensed to draw effective policies to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The group says Hong Kong is moving backward from the international community in taking up the responsibility to resolve the problem of climate change.
According to a recent report by the Chinese government, a possible sea level rise of 16 cm by 2030 is going to put coastal areas, including the Pearl River Delta, at risk. Greenpeace says that while the European Union plans to reduce energy consumption by 20% by 2020, Action Blue Sky advocated by the local Hong Kong government, whose aim is to educate the importance of maintaining air-conditioning level at 25.5°C, is not enough. The result in terms of reduction of carbon dioxide emission is insignificant, says the group.
