Cop29: Hong Kong environment minister to attend UN climate change summit in Azerbaijan

Hong Kong’s environment chief will depart for Azerbaijan on Monday to attend the United Nations’ annual climate change summit, while a former head of the city’s weather forecaster has voiced concerns about rising local temperatures.

The government said on Sunday that Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan would link up with the Chinese delegation at the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (Cop29) in the South Caucasus country, which is located at the juncture of eastern Europe and western Asia.

“The minister will have bilateral meetings with other representatives to introduce the latest strategies and progress of Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050,” authorities said.

Tse will visit a renewable energy facility in Azerbaijan and return to the city later in the month.

Climate negotiators and observers will descend on the capital, Baku, for the global summit which runs between November 11 and 22

The conference is expected to focus on the funds needed to limit global warming to the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels.