'The climate crisis continues unabated as the global community shies away from the full commitment required for its reversal… the world is way off track to meet the Paris Agreement target, signalling cataclysmic changes ahead’

'If the world does not act now, and forcefully, the catastrophic effects of climate change will be far greater than the current pandemic.'

- The United Nations

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We are calling on the Hong Kong government and the Environmental Protection Department to:

1) Cut greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2030.

2) Reach net-zero by 2045, i.e. offset any remaining emissions by planting trees.

3) Implement a 15% tax on animal products, e.g. meat, fish, milk, eggs and honey.

4) Invest 1% of Hong Kong's GDP into sustainable & cruelty-free plant-based alternatives such as lab meat, Beyond burgers and Omnipork.

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In early August this year, the UN's Independent Panel on Climate Change released its most thorough assessment of climate change yet. Its findings are thunderous: even the deepest of emission cuts are unlikely to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius, which could already lead to 2 to 3 metres of sea-level rise. Climate projections are rapidly moving forward: the Earth is now forecast to hit 1.5 degrees around 2034, whereas three years ago, this mark was predicted to be reached as late as 2052.

The United Nations says that global carbon emissions must fall 50% by 2030 to avoid a climate catastrophe. Despite these deafening alarm bells and youth around the world rising to demand action, and the fact that Hong Kong is a rich territory that is much more capable of taking strong climate action than most countries, our government only plans to reduce emissions by a meagre 26-36% by 2030. And this already weak plan doesn't have any mention of tackling Hong Kong's lavish overconsumption of animal products, which are the main culprit of our high carbon footprint.

This is nothing short of an abdication of responsibility and a betrayal of the international community and the future of our planet.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, 80% of Amazon deforestation is caused by farmers clearing forests to farm cows and grow their feed. Fishing is the number one cause of ocean biodiversity loss: trawl nets shred centuries-old ecosystems in an instant, scooping up and killing all wildlife, endangered or not, caught in their paths. An HKU study concluded that Hong Kong's greenhouse gas emissions would fall by 43% (!!!) if residents just followed the government guidelines on meat consumption.

We must let our leaders know that we demand better. The future of our children, our economy, our society, our planet and all life on Earth depends on what they do now and in the next few years.

Face the climate emergency, act now.