The Office of University General Education held the SDG Forum series entitled “Challenges of our Time: The Social, Environmental and Economical dimensions of Sustainable Development” comprising of physical and online talks from June 2023. The series employed SDGs as a framework to explore issues like social determinants of health inequality, urban planning and community wellbeing, climate change and food security, progress and challenges of artificial intelligence, and the various ways to build a sustainable future. With scholars of CUHK and experts from various sectors guiding the way, the series attempted the following questions: What are the global challenges we face? What complex issues are involved and how are they interrelated? What must we as global citizens do?
Past Events
Date: 28 Nov 2024
Time: 2:30-5:00 PM
Venue: Lecture Theatre 4, Cheng Yu Tung Building, CUHK
Join us for an insightful forum organized by The Outstanding Young Persons Association, supported by: Chinese University of HK, Friends of the Earth, CarbonCare Innolab, and 350HK. This timely event follows the COP 29 UN Climate Change Conference, bringing together awardees from the Outstanding Young Persons Selection. These influential leaders, recognized for their professional achievements, along with the young delegates return from COP 29, will share their expertise on critical climate issues affecting Hong Kong. Together, they offer unique perspectives on advancing sustainable solutions across various sectors. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with inspiring voices driving change for a better future.
TOYPA Panelists (alphabetical order) & Topics (suggested)
Prof Emily Chan: ”Resilient Hong Kong: Strategies for Disaster Prevention and Recovery”
Mr Chong Chan Yau: ”Educating for Change: Empowering the Next Generation of Climate Leaders”
Mr Gilbert Mo: “From Waste to Worth: Advocating Samaritan Laws for Food Donation and Poverty Relief in HK”
Dr Tony Ip: ”Building the Future: Innovative Architecture for a Sustainable Hong Kong”
Prof Kenneth Leung: ”Blue Horizons: Protecting Our Oceans and Coastal Communities”
Ms Poman Lo: ”Greening Hospitality: Sustainable Practices in Hong Kong’s Hotel Industry”
Prof Amos Tai: ”Feeding the City: Sustainable Food Systems for Hong Kong”
Prof Jacky Tang: ”Financing the Future: Investing in Hong Kong’s Green Economy”
Mr Wong Kit-Lung: ”Sustainable Dining: Transforming Hong Kong’s Restaurant and Catering Industry
Speakers: Miss Hilary Lam and Miss Eliza Lo, Screenwriters
Moderator: Dr. Kenneth Li (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Date：15/11/2024
Time：6:00 – 9:00 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
Venue：Esther Lee Building (ELB), CUHK (ELB LT3)
Session to be conducted in Cantonese.
* Limited seats in the lecture theatre. First come first served.
Brief Description
“The SDG Law Firm” is the first animated story series in Cantonese introducing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The story is set in Hong Kong and follows a law intern who joins the SDG Law Firm. The story highlights the social, environmental, and economic challenges through colleagues’ interactions and handling legal cases. This animated series is an original work created by 21 students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who were involved in screenwriting, directing, illustrating, voice-acting, and production. This event will feature a screening of the full series of “SDG Law Firm” followed by a panel discussion.
About the Speakers
Miss Hilary Lam graduated from the Department of Biology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She now works as a freelance screenwriter. Her drama scripts were awarded in the “5th Young Playwright Scheme” and “2nd 00 Philosophers Theatre” hosted by Cinematic Theatre. Miss Lam has participated in the script writing of various TV programs such as “Elite Brigade IV”, “Buildings Department Special”, “Below the Lion Rock”, “ICAC Investigators 2022” and “ICAC Investigators 2024”. She is also the screenwriter and a voice-actor of the animated story series “SDG Law Firm”.
Miss Eliza Lo is a Global Communication graduate at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She now works as a news program reporter at a local television station. She has a strong passion for humanistic issues and the multimedia sector. As an avid solo traveller, Miss Lo delights in exploring, observing, listening to, and recording stories. During her spare time, she practices street photography, reads, writes contemporary poetry and makes handicrafts. She values lifelong learning and pursues a sincere and humble mindset. At present, she is indulged in archery, painting, and storytelling. Miss Lo was a host of the radio broadcast program “Youthful Strides around the World” in the Community Involvement Broadcasting Service organised by RTHK. She is also the director and a voice-actor of the animated story series “SDG Law Firm”.
About the Moderator
Dr. Kenneth LI is a Lecturer in the Office of University General Education. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Dr. Li has been teaching GE at CUHK which includes GE Foundation, University GE, and College GE courses. In recent years, he has endeavored to promote education for sustainable development in GE, and has produced the animated story series “SDG Law Firm” to disseminate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Dr. Li has received several awards, including Exemplary Teaching Award in General Education, Vice-Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching Award (General Education), University Education Award (Teams), and Positive Workplace Service Award (Individual Award).
Free admission, all are welcome.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
SDG Forum Series (2024/25) Session 1
China’s Road to Carbon Neutrality
Speaker: Professor Xu Yuan, Professor Zhang Hao (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Moderator: Professor Amos Tai (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Date：25/09/2024 (Wed)
Time：7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
Venue：LSK LT1 (LG/F), Lee Shau Kee Building, CUHK
Forum to be conducted in English.
*Limited seats in the lecture theatre. First come first served.
**On-site participation or via ZOOM.
Brief Description
The talk “China’s Road to Carbon Neutrality” examines the transformations necessary for China to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, focusing on the development of energy laws and regulations that support decarbonization strategies. It also analyses China’s journey in addressing air pollution, highlighting how rapid economic growth initially increased greenhouse gases emissions, which were later significantly reduced.
Professor Xu Yuan will introduce China’s path to Carbon neutrality. Carbon neutrality has gained crucial momentum in the past years with all major economies and over 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions now falling under national pledges. China aims to reach the goal by 2060. He will illustrate China’s historical trends of CO2 emissions, major pathways to achieve carbon neutrality, technological and economic challenges and opportunities, as well as geopolitics especially in the context of the ongoing and deepening U.S.-China trade war.
Professor Zhang Hao will talk about electric vehicles, renewable energy and environmental governance in China. In September 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the UN General Assembly that China aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, with a significant goal of peaking emissions by 2030. These ambitious commitments indicate a major shift in the organisation of energy systems and the broader economy, raising important questions for China’s domestic energy law and regulation. Renewable energy and electric vehicles (EVs) are central to China’s efforts in advancing the energy transition, as the country leads globally in deploying modern renewable energy sources like wind and solar, and in developing the world’s largest EV market. This presentation critically examines China’s legal and regulatory frameworks governing renewable energy and EVs and highlights the challenges and limitations of existing regulations that may hinder further development in these sectors.
This talk is highly relevant to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 7 (Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry Innovation Infrastructure), SDG 13 (Climate Action).
About the Moderator
Professor Amos P. K. Tai is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at CUHK, also serving concurrently as the Associate Director of Office of University General Education. Amos obtained his B.Sc. from MIT, Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Harvard, and was a Croucher Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT before he joined CUHK in 2013. His research focuses on atmospheric chemistry and physics, ecoclimatology, and sustainable agriculture and forestry. Amos is also a passionate educator, having received the prestigious CUHK Vice-Chancellor Exemplary Teaching Award and Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award. Amos delights in promoting science, environmental and sustainability education for the general public, regularly giving talks in schools and public avenues and participating in many TV and radio programs. He has provided professional consulting services to various government departments, and currently serves as a Board Governor of Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong).
About the Speakers
Professor Xu Yuan is an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Resource Management and leads the Environmental Policy and Governance Programme in the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, CUHK. He has published widely on energy and environmental policy, governance and strategy, and technological and industrial development, covering fossil fuels and renewables. He has been the President of the Professional Association for China’s Environment (PACE) since 2022. Before joining CUHK in August 2010, he received a Ph.D. degree in public policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University and was a postdoctoral research associate in the Industrial Performance Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds an M.S. degree in climatology, a B.S. degree in atmospheric sciences and a bachelor’s degree in economics, all from Peking University.
Professor Zhang Hao is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He specialises in energy and climate law, focusing on the legal and regulatory issues surrounding energy decarbonisation and the green economic transition. His recent research includes investigating carbon pricing mechanisms and their interaction with electricity market regulation, renewable energy law, and energy market reform. He is the author of In Pursuit of Carbon Neutrality: Energy Law and Regulation in China, published by Cambridge University Press in 2024. He is a member of the Academic Advisory Group, Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law (SEERIL) of the International Bar Association.
Free admission, all are welcome.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
SDG Forum Series (2023/24) Session 6
Overcoming Challenges to Diversity and Inclusion – The Development of Sexual Minority Rights in Hong Kong and Asia
Speakers: Professor Suen Yiu Tung (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Mr. Jerome Yau (AIDS Concern, Hong Kong Marriage Equality), Mr. Henry Li (The Hong Kong LGBT+ Attorneys)
Moderator: Professor Amos Tai (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Date：09/07/2024 (Tue)
Time：7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
Venue：LT4, 2/F, Yasumoto International Academic Park, CUHK
Forum to be conducted in Cantonese
* In-person participation or join via ZOOM.
** Limited seats in the lecture theatre. First come first served.
Brief Description
Creating a more equitable and inclusive society is crucial in achieving Sustainable development. This forum will look into the critical issues faced by sexual minorities with examples from Hong Kong and Asia. Professor Suen Yiu Tung will talk about the rights of sexual minority groups in Hong Kong with a focus on marriage equality, in a comparative context with examples various countries in Asia. Mr. Jerome Yau will share his views on marriage equality in the individual and social justice levels, and how improved justice could enhance the well-being of sexual minority population. Mr. Henry Li will share his experience as a prominent figure involved in related court cases.
This talk is highly relevant to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequality), SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong institutions).
About the Moderator
Professor Amos P. K. Tai is an Associate Professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences Programme and Director of Earth System Science Programme, Faculty of Science, CUHK, also serving concurrently as the Associate Director of Office of University General Education. Amos obtained his B.Sc. from MIT, Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Harvard, and was a Croucher Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT before he joined CUHK in 2013. His research focuses on atmospheric chemistry and physics, ecoclimatology, and sustainable agriculture and forestry. Amos is also a passionate educator, having received the prestigious CUHK Vice-Chancellor Exemplary Teaching Award and Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award. Amos delights in promoting science, environmental and sustainability education for the general public, regularly giving talks in schools and public avenues and participating in many TV and radio programs. He has provided professional consulting services to various government departments, and currently serves as a Board Governor of Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong).
About the Speakers
Professor Suen Yiu Tung is an Assistant Professor in Gender Studies Programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he also serves as an Associate Professor in Public Health and Primary Care (by courtesy). He received the Young Researcher Award (2020) of the CUHK, and Exemplary Teaching Award in the Faculty of Social Sciences (2022) of the CUHK.
His research concerns the impact of sexual orientation and gender identity related laws and policies (and the lack thereof) on the lives of LGBT+ people themselves and the wider society. Besides publishing widely across many fields in academia, his research is known for being highly impactful. Outside academia, he has been a consultant and written reports for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), and advised the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for their research. Locally, he led the largest-scale research in Hong Kong Equal Opportunities Commission’s history of commissioned research. He is an appointed member of the Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS of the Department of Health of the HKSAR Government. He is Adviser and Past Vice-Chairperson of AIDS Concern Hong Kong. He frequently addresses a wide range of audiences including policy makers, business leaders, lawyers, healthcare professionals, and service providers. He has also been working with a variety of sectors as diverse as business, law, hospitality, fashion and more. Moreover, he has been interviewed by international media outlets such as the AFP, BBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times, New York Times, Reuters, TIME Magazine, Washington Post, and many others for his research.
Mr. Jerome Yau is the chief executive of AIDS Concern and the co-founder of Hong Kong Marriage Equality. He has extensive experience in executive and non-executive positions in the non-profit and education sectors, specializing in communication, strategic engagement, policy research and public affairs. Jerome is dedicated to social justice and promoting LGBTQ+ health and inclusion. He believes strongly in using positive narratives to mobilize for change.
Jerome has extensive experience working with a diverse range of stakeholders. He is dedicated to enhancing people’s well-being through affirmative and evidence-based practices.
Mr. Henry Li is a litigation lawyer, and an executive committee member of The Hong Kong LGBT+ Attorneys (HKGALA). Henry – together with his deceased husband Edgar Ng – filed three judicial reviews to challenge the unequal treatment by the government of same-sex married couples in terms of public housing, inheritance, and after-death arrangements.
Free admission, all are welcome.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
As the impacts of climate change intensify, vulnerable communities around the world are facing escalating threats to their livelihoods, food security, and overall well-being. In this public lecture, we will explore how climate change impacts the lives of these communities, how Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration combats climate change, and the innovative solutions to building climate resilience for these marginalized populations. The event is free of charge, and in English only. (英語主講．不設翻譯)
Date: 3 June 2024 (Monday), 6pm – 7:30pm
Venue: Fook Wo and Laura Jee Li Theatre, LG1 Leung Fung Yee Building, Chung Chi College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Speakers:
Mr Tony Rinaudo, Principal Climate Action Advisor, World Vision Australia
Prof. Amos Tai, Associate Professor, Earth and Environmental Sciences Programme & Associate Director, Office of University General Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Prof. Derrick Lai, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
For enquiry, please feel free contact us at 3943 5589 or sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk.
Exploring Organic Farming – Conventional Wisdom and Modern Agriculture
Speakers: Professor Daren LEUNG (Lingnan University, Hong Kong), Dr Chow Sze Chung
Moderator: Professor Amos Tai (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Date：09/05/2024 (Thu)
Time：7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
Venue：LT5, 2/F, Yasumoto International Academic Park, CUHK
Forum to be conducted in Cantonese
In-person participation or join via ZOOM.
Limited seats in the lecture theatre. First come first served.
Brief Description
Organic farming establishes a strong connection between its historical roots and its present-day practice. By exploring the history of organic farming, we can discern how current practices are deeply rooted in traditional and historical wisdom. In the upcoming seminar, Dr Leung will shed light on the intricate relationship between organic farming practices today and their historical origins, providing valuable insights into the continuity and evolution of organic farming techniques. Dr Chow will share his hands-on experience in being an organic farmer in Hong Kong nowadays and compare his life with an organic farmer in history (meaning since 20th century). This talk is highly relevant to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
About the Moderator
Professor Amos P. K. Tai is an Associate Professor in Earth and Environmental Sciences Programme and Director of Earth System Science Programme, Faculty of Science, CUHK, also serving concurrently as the Associate Director of Office of University General Education. Amos obtained his B.Sc. from MIT, Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from Harvard, and was a Croucher Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT before he joined CUHK in 2013. His research focuses on atmospheric chemistry and physics, ecoclimatology, and sustainable agriculture and forestry. Amos is also a passionate educator, having received the prestigious CUHK Vice-Chancellor Exemplary Teaching Award and Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award. Amos delights in promoting science, environmental and sustainability education for the general public, regularly giving talks in schools and public avenues and participating in many TV and radio programs. He has provided professional consulting services to various government departments, and currently serves as a Board Governor of Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong).
About the Speakers
Professor Daren Leung is a research assistant Professor at the Department of Cultural Studies at Lingnan University. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Sydney, he returns to Hong Kong to continue his research and teaching on food, environment, sustainability and urban commons. He co-founded Day Day Waste-Wise (DDWW) with students and community partners to promote the community-oriented practices of recycling food waste.
Dr Chow Sze Chung is the founder of ‘Sangwoodgoon’ and ‘Seeds Lab’. He has been engaged in organic vegetable production and promoted farming through education for more than 10 years. He has taught at various tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, trying to bring knowledge and issues related to agriculture and farming into the classroom. In 2018, he completed his doctoral thesis at the Department of Cultural Studies of Lingnan University, and published the book ‘The Light of the Sunset’ on the local vegetable industry in 2022. The starting point of his farming career is to learn the natural method of ‘permaculture’. He also gains nourishment from the skills of established local farmers. In recent years, he has worked hard to learn and experiment with ‘regenerative agriculture’.
Free admission, all are welcome.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Speaker: Dr Edwin Mok (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) and Mr Alpha Chia (BDO Hong Kong)
Moderator: Prof Darwin Choi (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Date：22/02/2024
Time：7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
Venue：LT4, 2/F, Yasumoto International Academic Park, CUHK
Forum to be conducted in Cantonese
On-site participation only.
Limited seats in the lecture theatre. First come first served.
Brief Description
Join us for an enlightening talk on green finance and investment in Hong Kong and explore the finance sector’s role in constructing a sustainable future. Dr Edwin Mok will give us an overview of green finance development in Hong Kong and other Asian economies, green fintech technologies, challenges and solutions, as well as the future prospects and development of green finance. Mr Alpha Chia will share his experience as an ESG consultant. He will walk us through the latest trends in the local market and the landscape of ESG reporting in Hong Kong. The talk will also discuss on what the government has done thus far and provide suggestions for future development. This talk is highly relevant to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
About the Moderator
Professor Darwin Choi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Finance and Associate Director of the Centre for Business Sustainability at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Before joining CUHK in 2016, he was an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He received his PhD degree in Finance from Yale University and BS in Economics and BS in Engineering degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. Prof. Choi’s research examines how institutional details and behavioural factors influence professional and individual investors’ capital allocations and asset prices. His recent work focuses on climate finance and other ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) issues. Prof. Choi’s papers have been published in the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, and Review of Financial Studies. He has won teaching awards at both CUHK Business School and HKUST Business School.
About the Speakers
Dr Edwin Mok is a Lecturer in the Department of Finance at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School. He is teaching undergraduate courses including financial management, financial markets, investment analysis and portfolio management, options and futures, as well as financial analysis with Bloomberg and Excel. His main research interests include corporate finance, empirical asset pricing and IPO markets. Dr Mok has worked on several projects with Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Government and worked with The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education to provide programmes for gifted students to nurture their entrepreneurial mindset. Dr Mok is passionate about teaching and has won several teaching awards before. He applied for Courseware Development Grant Scheme to strengthen the course components, participated in teaching and learning conference, and is running YouTube channels to share personal finance knowledge with students and the public.
Dr Mok has recently co-authored a Green Fintech Report 2023 report titled “The Intersection of Green, Fin, and Tech: A Study across 5 APEC Economies” which provides deeper insights into the developmental landscape of Green Fintech across five APEC economies, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, The Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Singapore.
Mr Alpha Chia is a manager of risk advisory services. Alpha has more than 10 years of experience in the environmental industry. After graduating from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Alpha joined several main contracting construction companies in Hong Kong. He started as an assistant environmental officer and gradually became a project environmental manager with years of experience. His projects ranged from green buildings to ISO 14064, 14001 audit etc. He is qualified as a BEAM Pro NB 1.2 and 2.0. He was also responsible for drafting environmental management plans, sustainable management reports, etc.
Alpha then joined HKQAA and was responsible for environmental project management in the intelligence business department, focusing on green finance, sustainability-linked loans and TCFD. As a project manager, he developed, maintained, and monitored the quality of the technical consultation services in sustainability finance provided by the company to be delivered in an effective, efficient, and reliable way. He was a qualified lead assessor for green bond/loan and sustainability-linked loans and was a TCFD trainer in-house. He is one of the authors for five sets of “Green Finance Implementation Guidebook for SME” in 2022 under TCF funding.
Free admission, all are welcome.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Speakers: Professor Jerome Hui (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Dr Yau Wing Kwong (Environmental Association)
Moderator: Dr Lancelot Mui (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Date：23 / 11 / 2023 (Thu)
Time：7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
Venue: Li Koon Chun Hall, 3/F, Sino Building, CUHK (* on-site participation only, first come first served)
Forum to be conducted in Cantonese
Brief Description
Join us for an enlightening talk on enhancing local biodiversity and conservation efforts as we explore past projects, challenges faced, and future directions with Professor Jerome Hui. The experiences of practitioners in the local butterfly conservation project at Fung Yuen, Tai Po, will also be shared by Dr Yau Wing Kwong. We will study the topic with a series of past projects on local biodiversity conservation, the challenges encountered, and how they could be overcome. The talk will also discuss on what the government has done thus far and make suggestions for future projects. This talk is highly relevant to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnership for the Goals).
About the Speakers
Professor Jerome Hui is a Professor at the School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Oxford. His primary research interests include arthropod and insect biology, animal-plant interactions, molecular ecology and conservation of biodiversity, evolutionary biology and genomics.
Dr Yau Wing Kwong founded the Tai Po Environmental Association in 1997, focusing on local environmental issues and encouraging social participation in both local and global environmental and social affairs. The association established the Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve, which conserves 90% of butterfly species in Hong Kong. They also set up a community-based geological education centre, contributing to Hong Kong’s recognition as a world-class geological park.
About the Moderator
Dr Lancelot Mui joined the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2012. He received his doctorate in Public Health from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He completed his Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Epidemiology at Emory University. He also has a background in laboratory science with training in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
Speaker: Professor Daren LEUNG (Lingnan University, Hong Kong)
Moderator: CNEX representative
Date：31 / 03 / 2023 (Fri)
Time：7:00 – 9:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
Venue: LT3, UG/F, Chen Kou Bun Building, CUHK (* on-site participation only, first come first served)
Documentary in English with bilingual subtitles
Sharing session to be conducted in Cantonese
Special thanks to CNEX for supporting this Screening and Sharing Session.
‘Clean Bin Project’ (2010)｜76 minutes
Director: Grant Baldwin (Canada)
Grant and Jen go head-to-head in a comedic competition to live zero waste for an entire year. This multiple award winning, festival favourite shares moments of humour, struggle, and hope in the cinematic and creatively executed story of a couple who ask the question – ‘What can an individual do?’ Described as a combination of An Inconvenient Truth and Super Size Me, The Clean Bin Project is a fun and inspiring call to environmental action that speaks to crowds of all ages.
Brief Description of Sharing Session
Despite the massive promotion of waste reduction in recent years, the food waste we generate every day still accounts for as much as 30% of urban waste in Hong Kong, becoming a longstanding environmental issue. In this post-screening sharing session, Prof. Daren LEUNG will share his cultural research on food waste, and analyse the multiple roles of abundance (‘yu’) in our society. From the experience with his students in Day Waste-Wise (DDWW), the audience will be invited to think about ways to promote environmental protection practices, food and agriculture education, knowledge sharing, and community collaboration. Also, CNEX will invite student ambassadors who took part in the “Green Doc Podcast” Project to share their experience and reflection on creating their own documentary podcast about environmental issues.
This talk is relevant to a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
About the Speaker
Professor Daren LEUNG is a research assistant Professor at the Department of Cultural Studies at Lingnan University. After receiving his PhD from the University of Sydney, he returns to Hong Kong to continue his research and teaching on food, environment, sustainability and urban commons. He co-founded Day Waste-Wise (DDWW) with students and community partners to promote the community-oriented practices of recycling food waste.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
Speakers: Professor Darwin CHOI, Ms. Maria CHEUNG
Moderator: Dr. LI Ming, Kenneth (Lecturer, General Education Foundation Programme, Office of University General Education, CUHK)
Date：17 / 02 / 2023 (Fri)
Time：7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
The talk will be conducted via ZOOM. Link will be provided later.
Seminar to be conducted in Cantonese
Brief Description
Responsible and sustainable consumption has been a global concern. It is of prime importance to establish Hong Kong as a sustainable and livable city as it is densely populated and lacks natural resources. However, this often requires stakeholders, including consumers, to take one step further: taking heed of the environmental and social impact of services and products across their life cycle, from product design, production, consumption to waste disposal and recycling. Such considerations are no different from those supporting ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives in the financial market. To this end, are we willing to look beyond short-term economic and financial benefits to support ESG? Are there things that the industries and government can do to accelerate the society’s efforts and lessen its burden?
In this SDG Forum, Prof. CHOI will share his views on how financial market responds to ESG initiatives and the economic considerations of sustainable consumption. Ms. CHEUNG will focus on young people’s perception (and misperception) on responsible consumption by sharing the results of the survey of secondary students’ habits of sustainable consumption conducted by the Fair Trade Hong Kong Foundation last year. She will also analyze how their level of awareness and misperception affect the consumption behaviour of the students.
This talk is highly relevant to a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
About the Speakers
Professor Darwin CHOI is an Associate Professor in the Department of Finance and Associate Director of the Centre for Business Sustainability at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Before joining CUHK in 2016, he was an Assistant Professor of Finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He received his PhD degree in Finance from Yale University and BS in Economics and BS in Engineering degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. Darwin’s research examines how institutional details and behavioural factors influence professional and individual investors’ capital allocations and asset prices. His recent work focuses on climate finance and other ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) issues. Darwin’s papers have been published in the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, and Review of Financial Studies. He has won teaching awards at both CUHK Business School and HKUST Business School.
Before starting her tenure as Chief Executive at Fair Trade Hong Kong Foundation in 2020, Ms. Maria CHEUNG had worked in several publicly listed companies for almost three decades, taking up various roles including image building and employer branding, advertising and promotions, mega events management, stakeholder engagement, media and investor relations, issue and crisis management, sustainability, central administration, as well as establishing a number of corporate volunteer teams and charity foundations.
Ms. Cheung is currently the Agency for Volunteer Service’s Fundraising and Promotion Committee member, Director of the Regeneration Charity Foundation, Vetting Committee member of the JC InnoPower: Fellowship for Social Workers, and an Executive Committee member of Hong Kong Public Relations Professionals’ Association (PRPA). Ms. Cheung was the President of PRPA in 2012–2015.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
Speakers: Mr. Harold YIP, Professor LAM Kin Che
Moderator: Dr. LI Ming, Kenneth (Lecturer, General Education Foundation Programme, Office of University General Education, CUHK)
Date: 25 / 10 / 2022 (Tue)
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
The talk will be conducted with ZOOM. Link will be provided later.
Seminar to be conducted in Cantonese
Brief Description
“Dump Less, Save More, Recycle Right”. We are more than familiar with slogans on recycling, but the industry itself and the culture of recycling in Hong Kong are still lacking behind. With the recent establishment of “GREEN@COMMUNITY”, the government seems to be placing more focus on recycling and environment industry. Under the pressure of land resources and the growing wasteloads, more are aware of the importance of waste reduction and recycling, but the “how” is the great challenge.
In this SDG Forum, Mr. Harold YIP and Prof. LAM Kin Che will engage in a dialogue and share their experiences from the field. Both speakers look forward to interacting with the audience and think about the challenges and opportunities of the recycling industry in Hong Kong. This talk is highly relevant to a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
About the Speakers
Mr Harold YIP is the founder of Secure Information Disposal Services Limited (SSID, www.ssid.hk), an award-winning waste and environmental management company established in 2009. SSID launched Mil Mill (www.milmill.hk) in 2019, the first pulp mill and education center in Hong Kong to recycle beverage cartons. Mil Mill can process 50 tonnes of beverage cartons/mixed papers daily, which are used to be treated as trash and dumped into landfills. The recycled materials are transformed into paper products such as toilet papers and napkins.
Professor LAM Kin Che is currently an adjunct professor of the Department of Geography and Resource Management of CUHK. He was formerly Chairperson of that Department and Director of the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development. His research interests include environmental policy and governance, environmental impact assessment and environmental disputes. Professor LAM served in different public services, including being the Chair of the Advisory Council on the Environment (2001–2009) and its Environmental Impact Assessment Subcommittee (1994–2001), Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan Steering Committee (2013–2017); and a member of the Task Force on Land Supply (2017–2019).
Free admission, all are welcome.
Enquiry: sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
Plastic free: are we there yet? — Impacts of Plastic Waste
Speakers: Professor TSUI Tsz Ki, Martin, Mr. Edwin LAU
Moderator: Dr. LI Ming, Kenneth (Lecturer, General Education Foundation Programme, Office of University General Education, CUHK)
Date：14 / 07 / 2022 (Thu)
Time：7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
The talk will be conducted with ZOOM. Link will be provided later.
Seminar to be conducted in Cantonese
Brief Description
Plastic pollution has been a serious problem for quite a long time. However, the public and governments have largely ignored this environmental crisis until recent years. Today, plastics appear in almost every aspect of our daily life owing to excessive use. Failure in tackling plastic waste has already created a serious impact to nature and public health.
In this SDG Forum, Prof. Martin Tsui will introduce the source of plastic in the environment and explore the consequences of plastic waste in the marine food web. Mr. Edwin Lau will share his experience from the field and suggest practical ways to alleviate the plastic pollution problem where governments, businesses and individuals must rethink the way to use plastics and commit to reduction at source. This talk is highly relevant to a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) SDG 14 (Life below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
About the Speakers
Professor Martin TSUI is currently an associate professor in School of Life Sciences, CUHK. Martin obtained his Bachelor degree in Biology from HKUST and Master degree in Biology from CUHK. He pursued his PhD in Water Resources Science in the University of Minnesota (USA) and a postdoctoral study in Earth and Environmental Sciences in the University of Michigan (USA). Martin has been working on ecotoxicology of various pollutants especially toxic mercury over the last 20 years. He has worked in diverse environment including both freshwater and marine environment, forests, and wetlands. Martin is recently working on issues related to microplastics, especially focusing on its impacts in terrestrial agricultural environment.
Mr Edwin LAU is currently the Founder and Executive Director of The Green Earth, an environmental organization advocating resource conservation and zero-waste culture. He has been actively engaged in environmental protection work since the late 1980s. During the period, he placed great concern on several pressing environmental topics, e.g. waste management, air pollution, climate change and energy conservation.
Mr Lau is currently a member of the Advisory Committee on Water Supplies, a member of CUHK Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change Expert Committee and senior advisor of Hong Kong Solar Industries Association.
In 2009, Mr Lau was awarded the Medal of Honour by the HKSAR Government in recognition of his long-term contribution to the promotion of environmental protection and environmental education. In the same year, he was also awarded an Outstanding Earth Champion by The Earth Champions Foundation.
Free admission, all are welcome.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
SDG Forum Series 2021-22
Session 3
Save the polar bears … only? — Impacts of a Changing Cryosphere
Speakers: Prof. LIU Lin, Mr. Jan CHAN
Moderator: Dr. LI Ming, Kenneth (Lecturer, General Education Foundation Programme, Office of University General Education, CUHK)
Date：27 / 04 / 2022 (Wed)
Time：7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
The talk will be conducted with ZOOM. Link will be provided later.
Seminar to be conducted in Cantonese and English
Brief Description
Undernourished polar bears being stranded on melting ice, staring out at sea, lamenting the loss of their habitat and food sources… Does the above description sound familiar to you? But is it the only picture you have when thinking about climate change?
In the past few decades, the cryosphere, which encompasses all the frozen places on our planet like glaciers, continental ice sheets, permafrost, snow and ice cover, has been melting at an unprecedented rate. What are the impacts of a melting cryosphere? Not only does it threaten the very existence of ice-dependent species, but it also has significant impacts on the food and water supply, human health and infrastructure, risk of floods and droughts, and many related aspects that affect our everyday life.
In this SDG Forum, Prof. LIU Lin will present the latest scientific findings on the changing cryosphere and how the melting in the polar and other ice-covered regions hinders the progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being). Mr. Jan CHAN will share his experience in leading the expedition to the polar regions and highlight the importance of providing alternative learning experiences for local students to foster their sense of responsibility to society and the environment.
About the Speakers
Prof. LIU Lin is an Associate Professor of Earth System Science at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He obtained his Ph.D. in Geophysics from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2011. He was a George Thompson Postdoc Fellow at the Stanford University. His research applies a wide range of geodetic, geophysical, and remote sensing techniques to the cryospheric systems including permafrost, glaciers, and ice sheets, aiming to quantify and understand their changes in a warming climate. He received the 2021 John Wahr Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union in recognizing his contribution to advancing cryosphere geophysics.
Mr. Jan Chan Ka-chun is the founder of “HK Discovery”. He is an expedition expert and an outdoor education instructor. He is an outdoor enthusiast who has left his footprints in the Arctic, Borneo, Taklimakan Desert and other regions. He has participated in a number of large-scale eco-tourism consultancy projects in Hong Kong and overseas. Jan cares deeply about the environment and the impacts of global warming, and he has been actively involved in projects promoting corporate social responsibility and addressing environmental issues.
Free admission, all are welcome.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
SDG Forum Series 2021-22
Session 2
Toward Carbon Neutrality: Challenges and Opportunities
Speakers:
Prof. XU Yuan (Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Resource Management, CUHK; Member of the CUHK Task Force on Carbon Neutrality)
Dr. William YU (Founder and Chief Executive Officer, World Green Organisation)
Moderator: Prof. Amos TAI (Associate Professor, Earth System Science Programme, Faculty of Science, CUHK; Associate Director, Office of University General Education)
Date：11 / 02 / 2022 (Fri)
Time：7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)
The talk will be conducted with ZOOM. Link will be provided later.
Seminar to be conducted in English
Brief Description
As greenhouse gas levels continue to rise, the Earth’s climate is changing at an unprecedented pace, leading to many irreversible changes. To limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial level – a threshold the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) suggests, achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is essential.
Good news is, the world has seen increasing momentum toward carbon neutrality, with most major emitting countries onboard. The stake is high with over US$100 trillion investment needed to achieve net zero emissions. Various sectors are destined to experience fundamental changes in the coming decades, with rising demands for new infrastructures, while many existing, fossil-fuel-based infrastructures may become obsolete. Jobs, money, industries, economies and geopolitics are expected to shift dramatically with winners and losers.
In this SDG Forum, Dr. William Yu will scrutinize the latest climatic disasters and the corresponding risk reduction strategies. He will also look into technological innovation for carbon neutrality. Prof. Xu Yuan will explore the massive opportunities and challenges of achieving carbon neutrality in a variety of economic sectors.
About the Speakers
XU Yuan is an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Resource Management and leads the Environmental Policy and Governance Programme in the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has published widely on energy and environmental policies and strategies, especially on their enforcement and compliance as well as related technological innovation and industrial development, covering fossil fuels and renewables. Before joining CUHK in August 2010, he received a Ph.D. degree in public policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University and was a postdoctoral research associate in the Industrial Performance Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds an M.S. degree in climatology, a B.S. degree in atmospheric sciences and a bachelor’s degree in economics, all from Peking University.
Dr William Yu is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Green Organisation (WGO). Dr Yu is an energy economist and climate professional by training and completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge. He also earned an Executive MBA degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University in the U.S. Additionally, Dr Yu has gained valuable regional management experience by working at US multinationals, as well as a financial institution. Dr Yu is currently the Adjunct Professor of the City University of Hong Kong, Director of Studies of University of Wales Trinity Saint David, holding a research co-partner position with the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of the University of Hong Kong. His publications in international academic journals cover Public Policy, Energy Poverty, the Indoor Built Environment, Green Manufacturing, as well as the UN Green Business Guide.
Free admission, all are welcome.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
SDG Forum Series 2021-22
Session 1
The Sound of Trees – Urban Forestry and Sustainable Development
Speakers: Mr. SO Kwok Yin, Dr. Alvin TANG
Moderator: Prof. Amos TAI Pui Kuen (Associate Professor, Earth System Science Programme, Faculty of Science, CUHK; Associate Director, Office of University General Education)
Date：03 / 12 / 2021 (Fri)
Time：7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
The talk will be conducted with ZOOM. Link will be provided later.
There are limited spots for CUHK students/staff to attend the talk on site.
In Cantonese
Brief Description
SDG 15 Life on Land aims to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.” Urban forestry plays an important role in fostering the sustainable management of forests.
Hong Kong maybe synonymous with skyscrapers, yet it has a huge amount of green space. You may be surprised to learn that there are over 1.7 million trees planted in the urban areas of Hong Kong. How should we manage the trees? What are the shortcomings in the tree management policies in Hong Kong? What is its relation to urban forestry? What challenges lie ahead?
In this SDG Forum, Dr. Alvin TANG will guide the audiences in considering tree management from different perspectives, highlighting the relationship between tree management and SDGs. Mr. SO Kwok Yin will illustrate the shift in tree management from arboriculture, which involves the care of individual trees, to urban forestry, which deals with forests as systems and spell out the conditions which account for sustainable urban forest management, focusing on the role of community.
About the Speakers
Mr. SO Kwok Yin is the Chief Executive of the Conservancy Association, a local environmental NGO with the longest history in Hong Kong. He works on forest rehabilitation and urban tree management for more than 23 years. He has been participated in the various tree management, tree-related education and industry development committees and councils to promote the importance of tree and urban forestry from policy, academic to public level.
Dr. Alvin TANG is the Course Coordinator and Lecturer of Tree Management Programme, College of International Education, School of Continuing Education at Hong Kong Baptist University. Dr. Tang’s research interests lie primarily in the areas of plant disease, tree management, fungal taxonomy and mushroom poisoning. The findings of his work have contributed to a better understanding of tree diseases and at the same time have helped to establish more effective management measures to reduce the risk of tree failure, which in turn helps to safeguard public safety in urban areas. He has established a close relationship with different government departments – especially the Tree Management Office of the Development Bureau, the Highways Department and Housing Authority – to understand their pressing concerns related to tree management and to conduct research to support their management regime and provide them with more options. Dr Tang is currently a member of a global expert committee on brown root rot disease to monitor the outbreak of plant disease worldwide. He has worked on various topical subjects in Hong Kong over the years, including tree disease and mushroom poisoning, and has conducted 112 media interviews to give insights on different scientific topics. As of today, Dr Tang has published 45 articles and wrote a book called “Fascinating Insights into the Mushroom World”, a first book about mushroom in Popular Science in Hong Kong.
Free admission, all are welcome.
Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
Speakers: Prof. WU Ka Ming, Mr. CHONG Chan Yau, Mr. Jorch WONG
Moderator: Prof. LEUNG Mei Yee (Director of University General Education, CUHK)
Date：11 / 06 / 2021 (Fri)
Time：7 – 9 p.m.
The talk will be conducted with ZOOM. Link will be provided later.
In Cantonese
Brief Description
Hong Kong’s waste problem is getting more serious in recent years. According to the Environmental Protection Department, each Hong Konger disposes an average of 3.37 pounds of municipal solid waste to landfills every single day in 2018. When it comes to plastic, the problem is getting worse. Greeners Action estimated that over 46 million single-use plastics are disposed in Hong Kong every week.
In this SDG Forum, we focus on SDG 12—to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Sustainable consumption and production is not only about avoiding the consumption of single-use plastics, it is about reflecting on the limited capacity of our planet to satisfy our unlimited needs and thinking through the chain of production and disposal of things we buy.
Prof. Wu will talk about the various policy experiments, corporate strategies and activist campaigns for responsible consumption in different parts of the world and discuss what Hong Kong can learn from these emerging new initiatives. Mr. Chong, the co-founder and CEO of CarbonCare InnoLab, an NGO dedicated to nurturing and expanding the active communities to mitigate climate change and develop sustainable low-carbon lifestyle, will share with us the work of his organization and highlight the role of young people in Hong Kong in transitioning to a zero-carbon economy. Mr. Wong, the founder of The Loops Hong Kong, a local one-stop recycling start-up that offers door-to-door recycling service to residential and commercial users, will share with us the perspective of the recycling industry, and the dilemma of going eco-friendly versus real-life situation. He will also advise the audiences on the responsibilities of global citizens in promoting sustainability.
About the Speakers
Prof. WU Ka Ming is Associate Professor, and Director of the Master Program in Intercultural Studies, in the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She was a visiting fellow, and now a life member, of Clare Hall, Cambridge University. Trained as a cultural anthropologist, she has taken up extensive ethnographic research to examine the cultural politics of state and society, waste, and most recently, gender and nationalism in contemporary China. Her academic papers have been published in high impact journals including Journal of Asian Studies, Modern China, Hau: Journal of Ethnographic Studies, The China Journal, Cities, Urban Geography, Ethnology, and China Perspectives.
Her recent teaching joins the field of environmental humanities, with course titles of “Living in the Anthropocene: Nature, Culture and Power” and “Introduction to Environmental Humanities: Debates in China.” Her research graduate seminar “Thing Theory” examines cutting-edge theories of new materialism, science and technology, objects and non-human to encourage students to conduct inter-disciplinary research beyond conventional humanities. Her book Feiping Shenghuo: Lajichang De Jingji, Shequn Yu Kongjian (CUHK 2016) (Living with Waste: Economies, Communities and Spaces of Waste Collectors in China) has a great impact on the public discussion of waste and has been covered by major media, such as the Guardian and Mingpao Hong Kong. Thinking waste a lot, she is starting a new research project on the ecological consequence of takeout phenomenon in China.
Mr. CHONG Chan Yau is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of CarbonCare InnoLab and a member of the Board of Directors of CarbonCare Asia Limited. Mr. Chong is a graduate from the University of Hong Kong in 1981. He obtained a Master’s degree in Information Systems from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1985. He served in the Hong Kong Government as an Administrative Officer. He also served as an Executive Director of Oxfam Hong Kong and a member of the Board of Director.
Mr. Jorch WONG is the founder of The Loops Hong Kong, a local one-stop recycling start-up that offers door-to-door recycling service to residential and commercial users. Jorch obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication at Hong Kong Shue Yan University in 2019 and continued his career in the advertising industry after his graduation. As the recycling rate in Hong Kong has reached historical low in the past decade, Jorch found the need to make a change to the city. In 2020 spring, at the age of 24, he established The Loops with the dedication to increase local recycling rate by acting as a missing link between recycling plants and citizens, and promoting a self-sustained closed-loop recycling system in Hong Kong. Jorch is also keen to change public stereotypes to traditional recycling with his background in media and advertisement training. The Loops has now gained a solid base of users and recently launched partnership with global brand, such as Procter & Gamble and Watsons HK, together accelerating the change and bettering our city.
Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong
Speakers: Prof. LEE Shing Yip, Joe, Dr. CHUI Pui Yi, Apple, Mr. Serag HEIBA
Moderator: Prof. LEUNG Mei Yee (Director of University General Education, CUHK)
Date：22 / 04 / 2021 (Thu)
Time：7 – 9 p.m.
The talk will be conducted with ZOOM. Link will be provided later.
In Cantonese and English
Brief Description
Mangrove ecosystems support human well-being in a lot of aspects. Mangrove ecosystems not only are important natural defenses against the impacts of natural disasters and climate change but also help ensure food security and provide livelihoods for local communities. Moreover, mangrove forests provide habitat for thousands of species at all levels of marine and forest food webs. In particular, the health and extent of coral reefs are largely dependent on coastal mangrove forests. Without viable fisheries which thrive on a healthy mangrove ecosystem, coral reef cannot survive.
However, in the past century, 67% of global mangroves have been lost due to coastal development, climate change and agriculture. In the meanwhile, the health and extent of coral have taken a toll.
In this SDG Forum, we focus on the vision and implementation of SDG 14—to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resource for sustainable development and we have invited experts on mangrove and coral reef ecosystems to share with us the ways to protect, conserve, restore and sustainably manage these precious global resources.
Drawing examples from Hong Kong, China, and globally, Prof. Joe Lee will discuss the implications of the threats for mangrove ecosystem function and their services to coastal communities, and actions being taken to reverse this trend. Dr. Apple Chui will share with us the work of her research team to help restoring and safeguarding Hong Kong coral communities for future generations. Until recent years, her research team has for the first time successfully raised and out-planted laboratory-reared baby corals to assist in Hong Kong coral community restoration. Mr. Serag Heiba, an international student at CUHK, will discuss the role of individuals in tackling such global challenges and achieving the SDGs, and share his experience and lessons learned from working with youth environmental organizations such as ThinkOcean.
About the Speakers
Professor Shing Yip (Joe) Lee is the Director of the Simon F S Li Marine Science Laboratory and Director of the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He completed a Ph.D. on the Mai Po Marshes during the tenure of the inaugural John Swire Scholarship in Wetland Ecology at The University of Hong Kong. After a short period as a Croucher Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Wales, he taught at HKU for 8 years before moving to Griffith University, Australia. Joe joined CUHK in 2017. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, and has been the chair of the IUCN Mangrove Specialist Group since its establishment in 2014. He has published more than 200 papers on various aspects of coastal marine science, with a focus on the ecology and carbon dynamics of mangrove ecosystems.
Dr. Apple Chui obtained her M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Science and Biology programs from CUHK. She has been with the School of Life Sciences as a lecturer for 5 years before becoming a research assistant professor in 2021. She is a PEW marine fellow. Her research addresses two main questions: How will projected future climate change affect corals that are currently present in marginal coral environments like Hong Kong? And can coral chimerism be used as a tool to enhance the resilience of corals, and hence be used as one of the strategies for active coral restoration in the future. Apart from research, Dr. Chui has been actively engaged in public outreach and education activities on marine and coral conservation in Hong Kong. In 2019, she officially launched an outreach programme “Coral Academy”, to raise student and public’s awareness and inspire action in marine conservation through various workshops.
Serag Heiba is a second year undergraduate student studying Energy and Environmental Engineering at CUHK. As an Egyptian, his upbringing showed him the connection between a healthy environment and social justice. He now serves as the Hong Kong coordinator for a youth environmental organization named ThinkOcean and leads its CUHK chapter with the aim of raising environmental awareness on and off campus, advocating for sustainability through policy and other initiatives, and providing a platform for youth to become leaders who drive change in the 21st century.
The joint university sustainability campaign ‘UNIfy’ is back this March and would like to present one of events, Smart Recycling.
To accelerate smart city development, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) launched a pilot Smart Recycling System. The EPD is progressively introducing smart recycling facilities in the community and assessing the local application of the system. An EPD representative will share how the new community recycling network works, and how smart technology is being used to encourage public participation in waste reduction and recycling. Don’t miss the talk if you are interested in smart city and smart recycling!
Event details
Date：24.3.2021 (Wed)｜5–6pm
Speaker：Dr. Pattie Lui, Environmental Protection Officer, EPD
Language：English
More about Unify：http://www.hkscc.edu.hk/activities/JUC2021