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Hong Kong must make sustainable development a key focus of its first five-year plan. Doing so aligns not only with the national 15th five-year plan but also with the goal of strengthening resilience to environmental, social and economic challenges.

Just like other places around the world, Hong Kong has broken temperature records and suffered severe flooding in recent years.

As such, Hong Kong’s five-year plan and policy address should place greater emphasis on environmental measures – not only to conserve our ecosystem but also to advance social and economic development.

Due to the surging energy demand from data centres, ensuring a safe and zero-carbon electricity supply is of paramount importance. Setting mandatory power usage effectiveness standards for data centres to align with the mainland’s would conserve energy. Rating buildings on energy efficiency will drive continuous improvement. Setting targets for vegetation in urban areas will provide more shade and heat absorption, while conserving local species will enhance the city’s biodiversity.

Positioning Hong Kong as an international green port without onshore power facilities, at least for the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, is embarrassing, if the city is serious about helping vessels minimise air pollution.

Since food scraps account for the largest portion of municipal solid waste, measures should be implemented to convert food waste into useful products and drive the circular economy. Education across sectors would help reduce food waste.

Reducing packaging waste from online shopping requires mandatory control. The Chinese government enacted legislation in July to tackle excessive packaging by requiring the use of recyclable materials, limiting excessive packaging and improving recycling systems. In Hong Kong, why not innovate by requiring multiple-use packaging?

Since recycling facilities for plastic drink containers and electric vehicle batteries have been established in EcoPark, producer responsibility schemes can help hold manufacturers accountable.

Furthermore, using recycled grey water would ensure water security. New data centres should be mandated to use recycled grey water for cooling.

The government has tried to improve the economy with more mega-events, but it lags behind in integrating sustainability measures into such spectacles. An eco-friendly city would bring multiple benefits beyond monetary ones.

Edwin Lau Che-feng, founder, The Green Earth

South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s first 5-year plan should take sustainability seriously