Conservation, WWF-Hong Kong
I was actually one of the first Climateers, signing up soon after we launched the carbon calculator in 2007. WWF-Hong Kong had never released anything similar before, plus I had never calculated my carbon footprint before so was very curious to see how high it was. I will never think about flying again in the same way after that first calculation!
Unfortunately for keeping a close track of my carbon footprint, I moved house about a year ago which makes it difficult to track the changes at home, such as switching all stand-by modes off. The biggest changes I have made are undoubtedly to my air travel. I don't go on work trips unless I really feel I can make a significant contribution to the meetings involved, and I generally don't go to meetings unless important decisions are being made.
In my personal life I try to take my holidays within the region, and if possible add holidays onto work trips so that I get the most value out of the same flights. I have also bought Gold Standard carbon credits to offset my personal travel in the last 3 years.
Global warming threatens to undo much of the hard work that has already been done to protect wildlife, such as in our Country and Marine Parks. Also, I don't think nearly enough people realise how much its destabilising influence will affect Hong Kong's future ability to do business and prosper, this really is an environmental issue that will have some impact on just about every facet of our existence, whether directly or indirectly. It isn't an environmental issue that can be ignored, as some would like to think.
The Government has a variety of roles to play. They need to set a good example themselves, they need to set an ambitious target for reducing the amount of energy Hong Kong needs and get the community motivated towards achieving it, and they need to regulate those areas where voluntary actions are not going to be enough, or too slow. They also need to unleash the power of the business community to tackle climate change, by creating powerful incentives whereby business can make money and create jobs by driving the transformation towards a low carbon economy.
Absolutely. For a start very few people would associate buying things like clothes, shoes, mobile phones, or not finishing all their food with climate change, but of course energy is required to produce the raw materials, manufacture goods and transport them to where we buy them. So buying goods we rarely use, or food we don't eat does contribute to global warming. We need to live far more wisely.
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