Hong Kong’s first five-year plan leaves climate change unnamed, analysis says
Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and accompanying policy address establish a framework that extends beyond the annual policy cycle, according to the South China Morning Post. An analysis argues, however, that the documents lack an explicit climate-change narrative, even though they include measures related to climate action.
Hong Kong’s first five-year plan has been welcomed as a framework that looks beyond the annual policy cycle, but an analysis in the South China Morning Post identifies an important omission: the plan does not explicitly mention climate change. The analysis says Hong Kong deserves credit for producing the five-year plan alongside a detailed policy address. It describes the framework as a significant first effort and argues that its structure could be strengthened.
The absence of a direct reference to climate change does not mean Hong Kong is failing to take action, according to the analysis. The plan and the policy address contain measures dealing with climate-related issues, although the supplied material does not list those measures. The central criticism is that the documents do not provide an overarching climate narrative to unite the territory’s efforts.
The analysis suggests that naming climate change explicitly could give greater coherence to policies already included in the plan. The available excerpt does not state whether officials have responded to the criticism. It also does not set out proposed changes to the five-year plan or assess the effectiveness of the measures it contains.
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