He made the comment at Greenway 2025, an event hosted by the EU’s office in the SAR and the European Chamber of Commerce.
Lee said Hong Kong has cut around a quarter of carbon emissions from its peak recorded in 2014.
“In 2023, our per capita carbon emissions were about 4.58 tonnes,” he said in a speech.
“To put that in perspective, it is 60 percent of the EU’s emissions, so we aren’t doing too badly, and only one quarter of that of the United States.”
Lee said the SAR is well on its way to cutting its emissions in half by 2035 as it tried to reach its goal of achieving carbon neutrality before 2050.
Hong Kong, he added, has made great strides in its efforts to be environmentally friendly, from green financing to turning to greener modes of transport.
For example, he noted, some 110,000 electric vehicles were on the streets of Hong Kong by the end of last year, around seven times more than the figure five years ago.
Subsidy programmes, Lee said, have also helped bus, taxi and ferry companies to go electric.
The government is also working with the Airport Authority to set a target for using sustainable aviation fuel, which he said is much more environmentally friendly compared to conventional jet fuel.
Lee went on to say that Hong Kong’s country parks and biodiversity are very much part of the SAR’s uniqueness, which is seen in few places globally.
“This is Hong Kong’s defining paradox, where business and ecology co-exist in symphony,” he said.
“For us, economic dynamism and environmental stewardship aren’t just compatible.
“They are dual engines propelling our future. We balance development with sustainability.”
Lee stressed that Hong Kong arranged 45 percent of the Asian market’s green and sustainable bonds last year, marking the seventh consecutive year that the SAR was the biggest market in the region.
