Content provided by British Council
[1] A survey has found that most Hongkongers support focusing on the development of local renewable energy. More than half of respondents were concerned about importing electricity from mainland China. The survey was jointly conducted by Greenpeace Hong Kong and Baptist University. The results were released last month.
[2] From June to October, the research team analysed climate action plans from 15 cities and countries, including Shenzhen and Singapore. They interviewed 20 experts from overseas and local universities, the energy sector and non-government organisations. They also engaged 196 residents in an online discussion and polls and surveyed 1,019 people over the phone.
[3] The survey found that about 90 per cent of those polled think Hong Kong should spend more resources on solar energy and generating power from waste. This percentage is slightly higher than that of those who were in favour of biofuels and offshore wind energy. However, 52 per cent of respondents did not support the idea of importing renewable energy from the mainland.
[4] Almost 80 per cent of the 1,019 people surveyed supported solar and wind power development projects. Half of the experts said Hong Kong should focus on local renewable energy first, and 12 suggested promoting electric cars by adding more charging stations and carbon labels.
[5] “There is a consensus among the public and experts that we should produce local renewable energy first,” said Darren Cheung Man-wai. He is a research assistant professor at the Asian Energy Studies Centre of Baptist University. Cheung said importing electricity could be an option if the city upgrades its storage infrastructure, as there is a risk of power loss during long-distance transmission.
[6] Hong Kong aims to increase the share of renewable energy in the city’s fuel mix for electricity generation from the current 1 per cent to 7.5 to 10 per cent by 2035. The goal is part of the city’s Climate Action Plan 2050. Another goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The city also hopes to cut carbon emissions by 50 per cent before 2035 compared to 2005.
[7] The plans also include achieving net-zero electricity generation before 2050. This could be accomplished by phasing out coal as a power generation source, raising the renewable energy proportion to 10 per cent by 2035 and 15 per cent by 2050, and strengthening cooperation with neighbouring regions.
Source: South China Morning Post, November 13
Questions
1. How many people participated in the phone survey according to paragraph 2?
2. In paragraph 3, most respondents think that Hong Kong should …
A. switch to fossil fuels.
B. use more solar power.
C. import energy from overseas.
D. all of the above
3. What are two ways mentioned in paragraph 4 that Hong Kong can use to encourage the use of electric vehicles?
4. What problem can happen when energy is sent over long distances, according to paragraph 5?
5. According to paragraph 6, Hong Kong’s wants to … by 2035.
A. increase the use of renewable energy to 7.5 to 10 per cent
B. decrease the use of non-renewable energy to 1 per cent
C. achieve carbon neutrality
D. remove all carbon emissions
6. Complete this summary using the words “renewable”, “non-renewable” and “renewables”. (3 marks)
A recent survey in Hong Kong showed that most people support using more (i) ___________ energy sources like solar and wind power. They prefer to develop these (ii) ___________ locally instead of importing energy from mainland China. Hong Kong plans to become carbon neutral by 2050. To achieve this, the city will need to phase out (iii) ___________ energy sources like coal.
Answers
1. 1,019
2. B
3. adding more charging stations and add carbon labels
4. There might be power loss.
5. A
6. (i) renewable; (ii) renewable; (iii) non-renewable
