Landfills set for closure by 2035 amid green push

The administration aims to close all three landfills by 2035 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said, as the Polytechnic University yesterday launched a research center for grid modernization aimed at developing sustainable and cheap energy.

At the center in Hung Hom, Tse said greenhouse gases generated by landfills used for waste disposal currently account for 10 percent of Hong Kong's carbon emissions.

The four decarbonization strategies include net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction, with the goal of actively reducing carbon emissions from the source.

"The path to carbon neutrality requires the concerted efforts of the community," Tse said.

In partnership with 35 government bureaus, research institutes, industry associations and 26 universities in Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland, the center will facilitate research and development.

Apart from knowledge transfer, demonstration and deployment of cutting-edge electric grid and sustainable energy technologies, it aims to power future smart and carbon-neutral zones in the Greater Bay Area, said PolyU president Teng Jin-guang.

Tse hopes the center will become a platform for boosting exchanges and cooperation among academia, industry and governments worldwide.

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said the establishment of the center is well-timed and a crucial leap forward. "With world-class power systems experts at the helm, I am confident that the center will emerge as a cutting-edge R&D hub, paving the way for the realization of modern grids, smarter cities and, ultimately, more intelligent societies."

Meanwhile, at the Environmental and Conservation Fund's 30th anniversary event, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki echoed Tse's calls to pool the wisdom and strength of different sectors to achieve carbon neutrality.

Since its establishment, the administration has injected about HK$1.7 billion into the fund between 1994 and 2012 on six occasions, and an additional HK$5 billion in seed money in 2013.

Eric Cheng Kam-chung, chairman of the fund committee, said the fund has launched over 7,000 environment and conservation projects over the past 30 years, hoping all sectors make good use of the support to realize Hong Kong's sustainable development and carbon-neutrality goals.