Hong Kong announced Thursday that, as a region of China, it would
adopt the
United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its
Kyoto
Protocol.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said
that the Central People's Government of China had extended the
UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol to Hong Kong after consulting the
HKSAR government in accordance with Basic Law Article 153.
"The UNFCCC is applicable to Hong Kong with effect from May 5, 2003
while the Kyoto Protocol will be applicable to Hong Kong as and
when it comes into operation," a spokesman for Hong Kong
Environment, Transport and Works Bureau was quoted as saying by a
Hong Kong government press release on Thursday.
"The application of UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol to HKSAR renews
our firm commitment to make our share of contribution to mitigate
the global warming problem," said the spokesman.
The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Hong Kong has been reduced
from the historical height of 22 percent above 1990 level in 1993
to around the 1990 level in recent years. Hong Kong is only a small
emitter of GHG on the global scale, contributing to only 0.18
percent of the global emissions in 2000. Hong Kong's GHG emission
per capita is much lower than the levels of other high-income
economies.
"The achievement is the fruit of our programs on the use of cleaner
fuels for transport and power generation, energy efficiency and
afforestation. We will nevertheless do all we can to further reduce
GHG emissions as far as possible. We will step up our ongoing
efforts, in particular, in promoting renewable energy and cleaner
fuels for power generation and transport," the spokesman said.
The UNFCCC, adopted in 1992, and its Kyoto Protocol, adopted in
1997, seek to reduce global emissions of GHG. Up to date, the
UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol have been ratified by 188 and 109
countries (regions), including China, respectively. The Kyoto
Protocol has not yet come into operation.
(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2003)