Macau's Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) said in a statement yesterday that the local government strives "to reach the peak of carbon emissions in Macau by 2030 and to achieve deep decarbonisation by 2050 and near-zero emissions as a general objective."
According to international environmental protection entities, the term 'deep decarbonisation' refers to the gradual elimination of carbon-emitting fuels by progressively favouring more sustainable alternatives.
The bureau headed by Raymond Tam Vai Man, an engineer by profession, announced the government's environmental protection aims in a statement on Saturday about its "Macau Long-term Decarbonisation Strategy" report which was released in Macau's official languages, Chinese and Portuguese, earlier that day.
The DSPA statement underlined that Macau's environmental protection objectives are in line with the nation's "dual carbon" target.
The central authorities' "dual carbon" target aims to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. The target was officially set by President Xi Jinping at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2020.
According to the United Nation, carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset.
The DSPA statement also said that the aim of its report was to encourage Macau's various social sectors to implement the nation's overall decarbonisation measures. It said the report aimed to serve as a blueprint for Macau's own decarbonisation effort.
"Work to combat climate change cannot be postponed," the statement said, adding that this "is why the Macau Special Administrative Region Government has been implementing a raft of measures in favour of decarbonisation, in areas such as clean energy, environmentally friendly transport, energy conservation and emissions reduction, and waste reduction and recycling, among others."
The bureau pointed that, in 2020, Macau's carbon emission rate already reached its target set in 2011 (a reduction of 40 percent to 45 percent compared to 2005), and, in 2021, the local government readjusted its carbon emission rate, aiming to reach a reduction of 55 percent in 2025 compared to 2005.
In the statement, the bureau also announced the government's six main strategies to achieve its long-term decarbonisation aims, namely: Setting-up of a low-carbon energy system; achieving green transformation of land transport; carrying out energy conservation and replacement with clean energy' reduction of waste from the source and transformation of waste into energy; accomplishing a low-carbon lifestyle for the general public; and bringing about technological innovation and regional cooperation.
Concerning its aim of green transformation of land transport, the bureau said its decarbonisation objective was to push Macau's land transport to reach "almost zero" emissions by 2050. The strategy includes the target that, in 2023, 100 percent of newly registered light vehicles motorcycles and scooters will be zero-emission motor vehicles, i.e., electric vehicles or those equipped with other eco-friendly technologies.
The DSPA statement underlined that the "dual carbon" target is "continuous and comprehensive work". It stressed that participation by all local citizens in achieving the target is "essential" in order for civil society to establish Macau's long-term goal of deep decarbonisation.
