Macao saw nearly 20 percent rise in greenhouse gas emissions last year, according to the Environmental Protection Bureau’s 2023 State of the Environment Report.
Published on World Environment Day yesterday, and cited in a report by broadcaster TDM, the study found that Macao’s economic recovery had put the environment under increasing pressure.
The surge in greenhouse gas emissions was primarily due to higher emissions from transport, waste incineration and local power generation, the bureau said, with carbon dioxide making up 90 percent of the total. Less than half the days last year had air quality that could be classified as “good” under the bureau’s criteria.
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While a resource recycling rate of 22 percent led to a reduction in the amount of special, hazardous and construction waste, overall municipal solid waste surged by 15 percent per capita – almost reaching pre-pandemic levels. Water consumption was up 7.1 percent.
The city meanwhile got hotter, with average temperatures hitting 23.4℃, or 0.6℃ hotter than climatic norms. There were 32 days of hot weather – a typical number – but only 26 cold weather days, or 13 fewer than normal.
Government expenditure on the environment reached nearly 2 billion patacas (US$248 million), the bureau said – over 17 percent higher than 2022’s expenditure.
