CUHK
News Centre

CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia (Gaia) held a forum entitled ‘Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change’ at Concordia Lutheran School today (25 October).  At this forum under the ‘Environment and Climate Change Forum Series’, experts from the environmental and education fields shared their insights on the impacts of climate change, drawing reference to the Fifth Assessment Report of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) released on 27 September 2013 in Stockholm, Sweden.  About 180 participants from public or private sectors, local schools and tertiary institutions took part in the event. 

Prof. Gabriel Ngar-Cheung LAU, Director of the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, CUHK, was the keynote speaker.  Other guest speakers included Dr. William YU, Chief Executive Officer of World Green Organisation, and Mr. HO Pui-shing, Principal of Tsang Pik Shan Secondary School.  The forum was chaired by Prof. Amos TAI, Assistant Professor, Earth System Science Programme, CUHK. 

Professor Lau is a renowned climate scientist.  He has been the lead scientist of the Climate Diagnostics Project at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and concurrently a Professor at Princeton University.  He was a contributing author of the Fourth Assessment Report and a lead author of the Fifth Assessment Report of IPCC.  IPCC was awarded by the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. 

At the forum, Professor Lau introduced the work of IPCC, and the latest findings of the Fifth Assessment Report. With reference to the data from the Hong Kong Observatory and the projections made by IPCC, Professor Lau illustrated the current and potential impacts of climate change to Hong Kong.  As shown by the projected figures, every action and non-action today will make a difference in how the future of the environment and humanity unfolds. Towards the end of his talk, Professor Lau encouraged the over a hundred secondary school students in the audience to carry on the important scientific work of the IPCC in future. 

During the Question and Answer session, participants raised questions on how to combat climate change at the individual and community levels, and shared views on Hong Kong’s environmental development. 

CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia 

CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia is a 5-year community engagement programme launched in 2012 by CUHK, with a generous donation of HK$54 million by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Committed to paving a sustainable future for Hong Kong, the programme aims at promoting environmental conservation and sustainability in local communities, through public education and carbon reduction partnerships with schools and non-governmental organizations. 

Rising environmental awareness, together with the proactive policies implemented by the government, has inspired the community to advocate for environmental protection.  In order to draw on collective wisdom and to encourage active public participation in pro-environment activities, CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia organizes the ‘Environment and Climate Change Forum Series’.  Experts and practitioners from different fields and the public are involved to confer on the best ways to deal with environmental challenges and impacts of climate change. 

Also under the programme is the Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change, scheduled to open in December 2013, to present Dr Rebecca Lee’s valuable “Three Poles” collection (the North Pole, the South Pole and Mt Everest), innovative research in environment, energy and sustainability initiated by CUHK, and the Trust’s endeavours contributing to the improvement of the environment. 

More details of the CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia can be found at www.cuhk.edu.hk/gaia.