Listen to #Hashtag Hong Kong every Sunday morning at 8.15
Focussing on issues affecting civil society, we'll hear from representatives of NGOs, associations, statutory bodies, and non-profit groups.
(Sundays 8.15am - 8.25am)
Good day, listeners!
You have probably seen the shocking news about wildfires tearing through Los Angeles, California. These disasters are not just ‘bad luck’—they’re a warning sign for all of us.
This is Tom Ng from Greenpeace Hong Kong. Today, let’s talk about something urgent: climate change. Climate change is here, and extreme weather is hitting communities everywhere, from burning forests in California, to flooded streets in Hong Kong. The weather we once called ‘normal’ is gone. We need to act now—not just to protect ourselves, but to give future generations a fighting chance.
Since early 2025, neighborhoods in California have been swallowed by flames, families displaced from homes, and firefighters pushed to their limits.
These are not ordinary wildfires—they are the second-most destructive fires in California's history.
We might have heard that wildfires are a natural part of California’s ecosystem. Yet, California’s fire seasons usually peak from July to September due to dry summers, high temperatures, and low humidity. But this time, the winter wildfire was supercharged by climate change. As the planet heats up, California is getting hotter and drier all year round.
Last year, California shattered temperature records—hitting over 43°C in many areas! Extreme heat sucks moisture from plants and soil. Scientists said that vegetation in fire-prone zones got 25% drier than it would be without climate change. Imagine green forests turned into kindling—that is exactly what’s happening.
But heat alone doesn’t explain the crisis. Climate change also twists weather patterns as well.
In the last decades, the western U.S.A., including California, suffered a severe drought that ended just two years ago. Then came the unusually wet winters in 2022 and 2023, triggering explosive growth of grasses and shrubs. But then 2024, the world’s hottest year on record, California faced a brutal dry spell. The region saw almost no rain after May, leaving all that new growth bone-dry and ready to be burned.
Would these winter fires still happen without climate change? Possibly—but they might be smaller, slower, and easier to contain. Experts suggested that human-caused warming has doubled the risk of extreme wildfires in California. This isn’t just theory: data shows that 75% of the state’s 20 most destructive wildfires occurred within the past 10 years.
Yet, California is not alone. From Australia’s 'Black Summer' fires to the Siberian Wildfires burning at record rates and scale, climate change is fueling disasters globally.
Hotter temperatures, longer droughts, and unpredictable rain patterns create a vicious cycle: drier land, more flammable vegetation, and faster-spreading fires. What we’re witnessing is a new era of climate-driven disasters— ones that spiral beyond our ability to control them.
You might ask: ‘Why care about California’s fires? We don’t have that kind of wildfire here in Hong Kong.’ But climate change doesn’t play favorites. While Hong Kong’s crisis looks different, it’s just as real.
Last year, Hong Kong saw 11 months warmer than average, with April and October hitting record highs. 2024 was the hottest year ever for us in Hong Kong, mirroring global trends.
It’s not just heat. In the autumn of 2023, back-to-back typhoons and record-breaking rains flooded streets and subways, shutting the city down for days.
These disasters affected everyone in the city, but hit vulnerable groups hardest:
Families in airless sub-divided flats, elderly without cooling, and outdoor workers working under summer heats. And those who had to rush to work, or even work under typhoons and heavy rain conditions. They have the less ability to prepare for and cope with climate hazards
They are the group that consumes less, drives less, and pollutes less than wealthy groups.
Yet, they face the highest risks.
When facing human-caused climate change, it isn’t just about saving and planting trees, it is also about protecting those who did the least to cause this crisis.
Greenpeace is urging stakeholders around the globe to take immediate action, and in Hong Kong, we demand the government include a clear roadmap to the 2050 decarbonization target, investments in solar and wind energy, and to implement policies to protect vulnerable communities from climate impacts.
However, tackling climate change isn’t just the responsibility of governments or NGOs.
Each of us has a role to play. Whether to reduce our own carbon footprint, Or to support local climate initiatives, Or just simply raise awareness about these issues, every action counts. The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time, and it is gonna take all of us working together to overcome it.
Before I sign off, I’d like to dedicate a song to everyone who’s fighting for a better, greener future. It’s Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell. You’ve probably heard the line: ‘Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.’ It’s a reminder to cherish what we have before it’s too late—our forests, our oceans, our clean air.
At Greenpeace, that’s what we’re working to protect. Thank you for listening. Let’s keep pushing for a world where people and nature thrive. This is Tom Ng from Greenpeace Hong Kong. Stay safe, stay loud, and let’s build a greener future together
Good morning. The Hong Kong E-Vehicles Business General Association (“HKEVA”) was established in 2017. “Promoting innovation, nurturing support and professional colleagues” has become our goal. We comprise of a group of elites from the automotive industry, power supply and distribution service providers. In addition, various universities professors and academics are also invited to be our advisory team. We strive to establish a solid platform for discussion as well as providing information and advice to facilitate the building of SMART CITY BLUEPRINT particularly in Smart Mobility with Green environment for better using and running of green vehicle technologies in Hong Kong.
Up to August 2024, there are over 98,000 electric vehicles registered in Hong Kong. It is a noticeable increase in the usage of electric vehicles, especially among private cars. However, comparing with the traditional fossil fuel vehicles, electric vehicles only account for around 10% of the total registered vehicles in Hong Kong.
The “One-for-One Replacement” scheme and the tax concession from the Transport Department are effective measures to move Hong Kong people to switch to electric vehicles. Back in 2018 when the schemes started, there were only around 10,000 electric vehicles in Hong Kong. Therefore, HKEVA would like the Government to continue the “One-for-One Replacement” scheme. The overall electric vehicle penetration rate in Hong Kong is still low at around 10%.
Transportation sector is the second largest carbon emission source in Hong Kong, just behind electricity generation. It accounts for around 18% of carbon emission in Hong Kong. Using electric vehicles can significantly reduce the roadside emission. Therefore, adoption of electric vehicles plays an important part in the carbon neutral policy of the Government.
Another benefit of using electric vehicles other than zero roadside emission is that electric vehicle is efficient. With the relatively low electricity cost in Hong Kong, drivers can enjoy lower fuel cost. In terms of maintenance, with fewer moving parts in the electric vehicles, for example, no gearbox, the maintenance cost for electric vehicle is relatively lower too.
However, charging electric vehicles remains the biggest concern for drivers to switch to electric vehicles as we only have around 9,000 public chargers in Hong Kong. Therefore, it is clear that there is NOT enough public chargers in the city.
For the future electric vehicle development in Hong Kong, HKEVA would like to suggest the following to the Government.
1. Continue the One-for-One Replacement and tax concession schemes. We suggest the Government to relax the requirements on Ownership and Licensed Periods for “Old Private Car” in the scheme so that drivers can join the scheme more easily. Although we recorded significant increase in the number of electric vehicles in private car, the conversation of commercial vehicles to electric remains slow. Commercial vehicles include light goods vehicles, taxis, mini-buses and buses etc... The usage for commercial vehicles is high but there are not enough models in the market for the drivers to choose. Therefore, more direct financial attractiveness is necessary from the Government to encourage manufacturers to develop and import more electric models for commercial vehicles.
2. Build roadside public charging stations over all 18 districts in Hong Kong. This infrastructure enhancement can help solve the charging concerns from the community. It involves works and approvals from different government authorities. Therefore, we encourage the Government to set up an Inter- departmental Working Group to solve the issues arising from the charging infrastructure development. We understand that there is a similar Working Group on Using Hydrogen as Fuel. We suggested the Government to make use of this Working Group to solve the issues arise from electric vehicles development.
3. Battery is one of the key components in electric vehicles. The manufacturing and disposal of used battery are very controversial topics in encouraging the society to switch to electric vehicle. Therefore, the battery recycling industry is a very important element in the electric vehicle supply chain. HKEVA urges the Government to implement the Producer Responsibility Scheme on Retried Electric Vehicle Batteries as soon as possible. We support the Government to manage retired batteries centrally and locally. We also encourage the Government to setup a battery registration and identity system, record all imported battery. This measure increases the battery traceability and encourage recycling and re-proposing. Especially on re-proposing, it gives “second life” to battery and motivate different industrial and commercial innovative applications.
4. With more and more electric vehicle running on the streets, repair and maintenance support on electric vehicles becomes a concern for drivers to switch to electric vehicles. Therefore, it is important for existing vehicle maintenance mechanics to acquire new knowledge and skills on electric vehicles. On training and education, we encourage the government to put more resources in the newly enhanced Voluntary Registration Scheme for Vehicle Maintenance. Organise more relevant training programs and help existing vehicle maintenance mechanics and workshops to pick up the maintenance and repair works for electric vehicles.
And now I would like to dedicate to all of you a song "獅子山下” by Roman.