Climate change has been of the greatest things that the world is fighting. Many countries are experiencing climate change, and it is a major threat across the globe. Climate change affects weather patterns as well as causes global warming. There has been climate change in the past, but the current world is experiencing climate change at a faster level than in the past. The fast climate change is said to be resulting from human activities, which leads to the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is said to be the major cause of climate change as it is identified as the main greenhouse gas. Burning fossil fuels is the main cause of the increase in carbon gas in the atmosphere hence the rapid climate change. In Hong Kong, climate change is a major problem that the country is trying to tame as it is a major problem for its people. The climate change in this country has been witnessed through the rate at which the country has been warming up. Hong Kong is having increasing hot nights and increasing cold days hence the need for the country to take action in taming climate change before it is too late. Therefore, the country has implemented the carbon neutrality plan in pursuit of ensuring they reduce climate change.
Apart from the case of rising temperatures, the country has been experiencing a sea-level rise in Victoria Harbour, thus the distinct problem that the country should be bold to solve. Therefore, the government has implemented the carbon neutrality program, which aims to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, thus a decreased climate change (Sun et al., 2022). Carbon neutrality is defined as a state where the country experiences net-zero carbon emissions (Li et al., 2021). People here are identified as the major cause of the increased carbon emissions as their activities lead to the increase of the gas in the atmosphere. Carbon neutrality in Hong Kong aims at balancing the emission of carbon dioxide by offsetting it or by doing away with the various emissions witnessed in society. Carbon neutrality is associated with different activities that lead to the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, such as energy production, agricultural activities, transportation, and industrial activities (Yu & Ho, 2021). The net-zero aspect, in this case, is used in describing the focus of the nation in its whole commitment to eliminating carbon and taking climate action. Failing to take climate action forms the basis of the country facing many threats in the future and collapsing.
The carbon neutrality plan was adopted in Hong Kong with the aim of reducing carbon intensity by 65% to 70%. The vision is set to be accomplished in 2030, with 2005 being the basis of the vision. The reduction of the intensity by 65% to 70% is a representation of reducing the amount of carbon by 26% to 36% (Li et al., 2021). In addition, the representation of 26% to 36% is an absolute reduction to 3.3 -3.8 tonnes per capita basis. In reference to the goal, the country’s carbon emissions have been on the decrease, as traced in the 2014 trend (Sun et al., 2022). The trend shows the country’s efforts bearing fruits and the need for the country to improvise many strategies that can ensure they achieve their goal or even surpass it (Yu & Ho, 2021). The country ought to adapt to more policies and measures which help reduce the amount of carbon as well as ensure they achieve the zero net target.
There are various ways in which the government of Hong Kong can adapt to ensure they achieve their goal of carbon neutrality. These methods include increasing the use of renewable energy and reducing the amount of carbon that is released into the atmosphere (Zhuang et al., 2020). In the last decade, Hong Kong has been shown to have allocated HK$47B in pursuit of implementing renewable sources of energy (Li et al., 2021). These renewable sources of energy include using solar panels and electric vehicles, changing waste materials into energy, and changing waste to resources. The use of electric vehicles can be a major hack for this country as diesel and petrol vehicles are said to be one of the major emitters of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Therefore, adopting the use of electric vehicles can set the country forward, ensuring they achieve its goal (Yu & Ho, 2021). Although the topological state of the country may be difficult to ensure they successfully implement this aspect, the country should strive to ensure electricity is supplied in all parts of the country, especially the industrial areas to ensure they reduce the emission of carbon (Sun et al., 2022). Decarbonizing the country using the power sector is one of the main ways to go about the problem which these people of Hong Kong are facing.
In addition, the people of Hong Kong should be advised on the importance of using renewable energy sources and reducing the increased rates of carbon emission into the atmosphere (Zhuang et al., 2020). The citizens of the country can play a major role in controlling the release of carbon as they are the primary releasers ranging from industrial work and various activities they do. These people are known to be good at burning fossil fuels which increases the amount of carbon in the atmosphere (Li et al., 2021). Therefore, advising them to shift to the use of renewable sources and stop the burning of fossil fuels can be a major hack to the whole nation and the country’s future (Yu & Ho, 2021). The people can be installed solar panels in their homes and other key work areas such that they stop the use of the various fuel-related objects, which leads to an increase in carbon release.
The advice to the people can be passed through rising on the issue of carbon emission. The awareness can be raised and addressed on televisions, radio stations, and billboards. Many people in Hong Kong listen to radio stations and watch TV (Yu & Ho, 2021). Therefore, addressing the matter via stations and televisions is one way of making these people away of the importance of reducing the release of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The awareness can have the advantages of the reduction highlighted. The highlight can be a better way of catching the people’s attention and ensuring they put the aspects in mind.
Also, the government can allocate different people to be in charge of the major vision in the country. The people are selected by a board responsible for drawing meaningful plans that the country can use in its future (Yu & Ho, 2021). The board can be made from the people selected. Besides, these people can be assigned different roles focusing on taming the people of Hong Kong and ensuring they comply with the needs of the vision. The leaders chosen by the government can also advise the government on the various policies which they can draw to ensure they are in line with achieving carbon neutrality.
Furthermore, the country should ensure they move the energy-intensive industries from the cities and improvise the electricity market. These industries in the city are highly concentrated, and the concentration of the carbon emission is one of the dangerous things that the country’s climatic condition can be placed into as well as that of the globe (Sun et al., 2021). The industries can choose to replace coal and gas with hydrogen as well as import renewable energy from different parts such as Greater Bay Area (Yu & Ho, 2021). The adaptation of hydrogen and renewable energy can ensure the country performs better in its vision of carbon neutrality hence the possibility of making people’s lives better.
The country can do away with the traditional centralized power plant generating their local power. This plant is identified as a major emitter of carbon, and without its elimination, the country cannot achieve its goal (Yu & Ho, 2021). The plant can be eliminated by opening the market for the private sector to compete, thus eliminating the plant (Sun et al., 2021). The energy produced should be clean and free of carbon. Granting more opportunities for the traditional plant to continue releasing carbon is a way of achieving the visions of the country in a backward way.
However, there are many challenges that the country can face in line with achieving carbon neutrality. Achieving the goal is not a simple task to accomplish, bearing the various strategies which the country should adopt to ensure they are successful in its plan. Therefore, some of the challenges include the lack of cooperation of the people of the country (Sun et al., 2021). Carbon neutrality can be achieved if the people of the country agree to work on a common goal. The people of the country are the major cause of climate change, and they should be the primary people in ensuring the problem is solved (Yu & Ho, 2021). As a result, the failure of their concentration leads to the failure of the projects as they continue with the release of carbon into the atmosphere, thus the increased temperatures in the country.
In addition, it can be costly for the industries to adapt to the use of electricity in their companies. The shift from one system to the other is an expense, and it requires these industries to have enough funds. The government may find it difficult to finance these industries, from fossil fuel use to electricity use (Yu & Ho, 2021). Also, it can be costly to disperse these industries from the city. The concentration of the industries in the city is said to have led to the high concentration of carbon, thus the climate effect (Sun et al., 2021). However, carbon neutrality advocates for dispersing the industries and taking them away from the city. The movement is not a simple task to do; hence a major challenge that the vision of the country may have to deal with.
The goal of the nation is also faced with a lack of proper implementation in the electric industry. The electricity industry is one of the major industries which the country has been fighting to ensure it stabilizes and can be relied upon (Yu & Ho, 2021). However, they have not been able to achieve their plan as the electricity industry needs time to develop and supply these people. The electricity industry may also face challenges in supplying all the industries after choosing to shift to the use of electricity (Sun et al., 2021). The geography of the country is also not favorable for supplying electricity in all parts of the country. As a result, achieving carbon neutrality may have to fight all these challenges to ensure they thrive and make it through in line with their goal of taming climate change.
In conclusion, climate change is a major problem that is being fought at a global level, with many countries experiencing the different factors associated with climate change. Hong Kong is a major country that has experienced the problem and seeks to find ways to which they can safeguard the climate of the country. The climate of this country has seen the country experience higher temperatures during the nights and limited cold days. Therefore, carbon neutrality has been adopted to help in the climate change effect. The vision aims at reducing carbon as it is the main greenhouse gas that is leading to these effects. There are various strategies that people can adopt to achieve neutrality, such as using electricity instead of fossil fuels. Dispersing industries and relocating them from the urban areas, creating awareness through televisions, and teaching people the importance of safeguarding the environment. The adaptation of these strategies reduces the release of carbon into the atmosphere, with human beings being the key facilitators. However, the implementation can be faced with different problems, which may make it difficult. Some of these problems include the people of Hong Kong not cooperating and working on a common goal like the nation. The lack of concentration on the particular goal may make its achievement difficult. Also, shifting the industries from the urban areas may be difficult as it is extremely costly with the government not being able to pay for all industries. Also, the adaptation of electricity use might be difficult, bearing on the topology of the country. The electricity industry can therefore find it difficult to supply electricity to all people of the country.
References
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