Hong Kong International Airport is one of the biggest pollution hubs in the world, a UK think tank has revealed.
Wednesday, new data by global affairs thinktank ODI Global ranked Hong Kong airport as the sixth most polluting airport in the world in terms of in-flight CO2 emissions and second in the Asia-Pacific.
The study, based on 2023 data from the International Council on Clean Transportation, concluded that the fossil fuel-dependent aviation sector would be the fifth largest emitter if it were a country.
Hong Kong emitted 15.1 million tons of CO2 and saw 138,764 flights in 2023.
Seoul was Asia-Pacific’s most polluting airport, responsible for 16.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2023. Dubai topped the global ranking with 23.2 million tonnes of CO2, followed by London’s Heathrow.
The research also showed that Hong Kong’s airport was a significant source of local pollutants – it ranked ninth in the world, emitting 4,572 tonnes of nitrogen oxides in 2023.
The expert group warned against relying on so-called “sustainable” aviation fuels to cut emissions, citing “high production costs and price premiums, limited policy support, weak long-term procurement commitments, banking challenges and limitations in feedstock availability and sustainability”.
He also said that jet fuel emissions are projected to increase and consume the future carbon budget: “The sector’s high growth scenario predicts that passenger demand could grow by 3.3% per year, from 9.0 trillion revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) in 2024 to 21.9 trillion RPKs in 2050 and is projected to consume 15% of the remaining budget of of carbon associated with 1.7ºC of warming”.
HKFP has contacted the Department of Environmental Protection and the Airport Authority for comment.
