Hydrogen – A Big Step Towards Utopia
Why Hydrogen Economy
is essential for Hong Kong ?
Not many people are aware of global warming and what it does to Hong Kong. Little has been done to adjust the greenhouse gas emission. Climate change is definitely not a hoax and it is coming right around the corner.
Air Pollution
Do you know that electricity generation and transportation contributed over 80% of greenhouse gas emission in pre-pandemic Hong Kong? If all of the fossil fuels consumption is turned into renewable energy and hydrogen fuel, the emission can be reduced dramatically. Moreover, the air pollutants emission can be reduced by 45%. Hong Kong can become one of the cleanest and greenest cities in the world.
Quick Facts
The Pandemic
Air Pollutants
Greenhouse Gases
Due to the lock-down and quarantine measures proposed in many countries, the year 2020 saw a 17% decrease in daily carbon dioxide emissions. A lifestyle with a low emission is achievable by everyone in the world.
There are five major air pollutants in Hong Kong. They are the nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and suspended particles (SP).
The greenhouse gases emissions in 2019 are 40.1 million tonnes in total and 5.3 tonnes per capita. It ranked the 7th highest in the world. There is still a long way for Hong Kong to catch up.
Extreme Weathers
Global warming has changed the weather in Hong Kong significantly. In the last two decades, the annual mean temperature increased at a rate of 0.17 degrees/decade. The Hong Kong observatory has recorded a maximum temperature of 36.1 as well as a record-breaking number of hot rights and days in 2021. This induced several natural hazards and heavy precipitations. In 2018, typhoon Mangkhut stormed Hong Kong and inflicted an economic loss of 4.6 billion HKD. The situation is urgent for Hong Kong.
Quick Facts
Heavy Precipitation
Storm Surge
The rise in global temperature leads to more evaporation of seawater. The enhanced water cycle intensifies the participation in Hong Kong. The hourly rainfall records increased from 109.9 mm to 145.5 mm in the last two decades.
Tropical cyclone not only brings heavy rain and strong wind to Hong Kong but also raises the sea level and causes storm surges. Storm surges can inflict heavy damage and casualties to the coastal area. The effect should not be underestimated.
Responsibilities
In response to the targets set in Parsi Agreement, the HKSAR government announced its strategies with a spending of $240 billion. The plan is to reduce 70% of carbon intensity and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Net-zero electricity generation and green transportation have been introduced to minimize greenhouse gases emission. For the well-being of our future generation, a solution to mitigate global warming is necessary. Hydrogen is the best candidate to decarbonize the Hong Kong economy.
Quick Facts
The Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement was signed by 196 parties during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015. The desirable goal is to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial level. The agreement is historical as it is the first time to include all nations to fight global warming.
