CUHK
News Centre

The Public Policy Forum on Economic Opportunities of Climate Change was held Today (1 November) at Cho Yiu Conference Hall, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). It was co-organised by the Policy Research @ HKIAPS of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, the Global China Research Programme, the MSSc Programme in Public Policy, the Centre for Business Sustainability, and the Department of Geography and Resource Management of CUHK.

Mr. Kam-Sing Wong, Secretary for the Environment of the HKSAR government, gave a keynote speech at the forum. Leaders of business sectors, and scholars from both overseas and Hong Kong, were invited to discuss the potential economic opportunities offered by climate mitigation measures and how Hong Kong might be better positioned to benefit from global climate efforts.

Prof. Fanny Cheung, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK and the Co-Director of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, delivered the welcome message, “Climate change is a challenge which all governments and countries cannot ignore. As we have seen, when there are crises, there are also opportunities. A timely response to climate change is how we can position ourselves to take a proactive approach to relieve the adverse effects caused by it. Our distinguished speakers have spared no effort to explore the economic opportunities which can be brought by climate change — especially relevant to innovation and technology — and possible ways of harvesting them.”

Mr. Kam-Sing Wong introduced the Steering Committee on Climate Change led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, and gave a detailed introduction to Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2030+. He pointed out that while climate change is a very major challenge for the world, there are many opportunities for co-benefits to be captured alongside climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. Hong Kong too can reap many qualitative benefits, including liveability improvements.

After the keynote speech, five distinguished speakers gave their opinions on the forum subject, and together explored possible ways for Hong Kong to benefit from these opportunities. The distinguished speakers were: Prof. Yuan Xu, Associate Professor of the Department of Geography and Resource Management at CUHK, Prof. Ambuj Sagar, Head of the School of Public Policy of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Dr. Jeanne Ng, Chairman of the Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals, Mr. Mark Clifford, Executive Director of the Asia Business Council, and Mrs. Alexandra Tracy, President of the Hoi Ping Ventures. The forum was moderated by Prof. Wilson Wong, Programme Director of Undergraduate Programme in Data Science and Policy Studies, CUHK.