Hong Kong greenhouse gas emission inventory for 2024 released
The Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) released today (January 22) the 2024 greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventory for Hong Kong.
Hong Kong's GHG emissions continued their downward trend. The total GHG emissions in 2024 amounted to approximately 33.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e), representing a decrease of 3.6 per cent compared with 2023. The per capita GHG emissions continued its downward trend, reaching a new low of 4.41 tonnes CO2-e. It is 3.5 per cent lower than that in 2023 and is about a quarter of that of the United States and 60 per cent of that of the European Union. The carbon intensity was 0.011 kilograms of CO2-e per Hong Kong dollar of GDP, representing a significant decrease of about 6 per cent compared to 2023.
Hong Kong's GHG emissions peaked in 2014. Compared with the emissions peak in 2014, the total emissions, per capita GHG emissions and carbon intensity in 2024 have been reduced by about 27 per cent, 30 per cent and 35 per cent respectively.
According to the latest GHG emission inventory, the three main emission sources in Hong Kong remain to be electricity generation (61 per cent), transport (18 per cent) and waste management (8 per cent). With the gradual replacement of coal with natural gas and zero-carbon energy for electricity generation, popularisation of electric vehicles, reduction in municipal solid waste (MSW) and increase in landfill gas recovery for energy production, Hong Kong's GHG emissions from electricity generation, transport and waste management declined by 3.5 per cent, 3.7 per cent and 9 per cent respectively, compared to 2023. The reduction in GHG emissions from waste management was particularly significant. It was mainly attributable to the 3.4 per cent reduction in the quantity of MSW disposed of at landfills, and a nearly 12 per cent increase in landfill gas recovery for energy production.
To align with the country's "dual carbon" target to achieve the peak of carbon emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060, the Government will continue to implement the four decarbonisation strategies, namely, net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction, outlined in Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050, with a view to reducing Hong Kong's carbon emissions by half from the 2005 levels before 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2050.
Details of the 2024 GHG emission inventory have been uploaded to the Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development website (cnsd.gov.hk/en/climate-ready/ghg-emissions-and-trends).
Source: AI-found images
Latest figures of primary healthcare services provided by Health Bureau to residents affected by Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fire
The Health Bureau (HHB) announced earlier the medical support provided for residents affected by the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. At present, the District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses (collectively referred to as DHCs) across all 18 districts in Hong Kong serve as hubs to co-ordinate various primary healthcare services as needed for the affected residents. The HHB announced today (January 22) the latest figures of these services:
DHC hotlines
Under the co-ordination of the Primary Healthcare Commission (PHC Commission), the DHCs across all 18 districts in Hong Kong have set up hotlines since December 1, 2025, (see Annex 1) to provide personalised case management services for affected residents, offering more convenient and comprehensive medical support. The support includes pairing the affected residents with free consultation services provided by private family doctors and Chinese medicine (CM) practitioners, co-ordinating arrangements for follow-up appointments and medication refills at the Hospital Authority (HA)'s Family Medicine Out-patient (FMOP) Services as necessary, and making referrals to necessary healthcare, nursing and medication services, as well as psychological support. The services co-ordinated by DHCs are not subject to district boundaries. For example, the Centres may assist affected residents in transferring HA FMOP follow-up appointments and medication refill service points, from Tai Po District to another location, thereby sparing residents the need for travelling across districts. As of January 20, the DHCs hotlines across all 18 districts have received 363 enquiries in total.
Free consultations by family doctors and CM practitioners and free denture replacement services
The HHB introduced a free family doctor service scheme, free CM consultation services, and free denture replacement services on December 4, 15, and 23, 2025, respectively to support the primary healthcare needs of the affected residents until February 28 this year. Case managers of the DHCs will arrange for them to receive up to three free consultations by family doctors and CM practitioners respectively based on their individual situations and preferences, covering the provision of medication and related treatments; and at least one free dental consultation and one follow-up appointment (subject to clinical need), covering denture replacement and oral treatment services.
As of January 20, more than 300 private family doctors have participated in the free family doctor service scheme, covering more than 450 service points that include eight private hospitals. So far, 94 referrals have been handled. As for the free CM consultation services, more than 360 CM practitioners have participated, covering more than 620 service points, and 57 referrals have been handled so far. Regarding free denture replacement services, more than 110 private dentists have participated, covering over 150 service points, and 31 referrals have been handled so far.
HA's healthcare services
All individuals injured in the fire and admitted to public hospitals under the HA will receive full fee waivers for all necessary healthcare services (including drugs and medical devices) throughout the entire process of their treatment and rehabilitation. A total of 79 patients received treatment at various public hospitals due to the fire. As of January 20, 71 of them had already recovered and were discharged, and the remaining eight are in stable condition. Healthcare staff will continue to provide appropriate treatment and care to these patients.
Moreover, all residents of the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court (including foreign domestic helpers) are eligible for full medical fee waivers until December 31 this year. The waivers cover in-patient services, family medicine and specialist out-patient clinics (SOPCs) services (including psychiatry SOPCs), accident and emergency services, day hospitals, day procedures, community services, and Chinese Medicine Clinics cum Training and Research Centres under the HA. As of January 20, the HA has provided necessary healthcare services to around 1 900 affected residents.
Mental health support
The 18111 - Mental Health Support Hotline immediately deployed additional staff and strengthened training for its call handlers on the day of the fire incident to cope with the emotional distress that the public may experience due to the incident. From the time of the incident to January 20, the hotline has received over 17 000 calls, 750 of which were related to the fire incident. The WhatsApp service has handled over 800 messages, with about 50 of them concerning the fire incident. The HA's 24-hour Mental Health Direct hotline, manned by psychiatric nurses, offers professional advice and support on mental health issues to callers, including provision of risk assessments and referrals to the HA's mental health services as appropriate. As of January 20, the Mental Health Direct hotline has received 102 calls related to the fire incident, with 40 of them coming from affected citizens.
The HHB will continue to provide comprehensive primary healthcare support to affected residents. The HHB also designed the relevant service workflow from the residents' perspective, allowing them to receive convenient and effective medical support simply through the DHCs (see Annex 2).
Source: AI-found images
