Fifth Anniversary of Paris Agreement Conference on 12 December 2020 [fr]

Watch the video replay of the conference:

Our shared goal was to put climate and environment at the center of the political agenda locally, by gathering political, institutional, business and NGO stakeholders. As a global player, France has taken a leading role in fighting climate change since 2015. In parallel, as a global academic hub, HKUST has stepped up its policy to support sustainable development in Hong Kong and beyond, through the establishment of the Institute for the Environment and implementation of ambitious initiatives on its campus.

HKUST and France enjoy a strong cooperation relationship, which has blossomed further over the years with the creation in 2018 of the "France-HKUST Innovation Hub" to promote scientific communication and cooperation. This conference will be labeled as the inaugural ’Innovation Hub Rendez-Vous’, a new quarterly-meeting format involving Hong Kong and French figures from science and technology.

Two main topics were addressed

• Are we ready for a Living Building Challenge for a Clean and Sustainable Future?
  
  Sustainable buildings and energy efficiency are one of the most important environmental issues, especially in a globalized city like Hong Kong. This roundtable will gather industries and researchers on this topic, with a study case of HKUST sustainable campus.

• Green Finance: How Can it Help Fight Climate Change?
  Since 2007, when the first green bonds were issued to support the development of climate change solutions, the market has substantially grown. Nearly 200 countries agreed to mobilize green finance in 2015 under the terms of the Paris Agreement. What assessment can be made today? What are the latest trends of the green finance market?

Program

2:30 - 3:00 PM | Welcome Speech: Celebration of the 5th Anniversary of the Paris Agreement

• Prof. Wei Shyy, President of HKUST
• Mr. Alexandre Giorgini, Consul General, Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau
• Mr. Thomas Gnocchi, Head of the European Union Office to Hong Kong and Macau
• The Honourable Wong Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment, HKSAR Government

3:00 - 4:00 PM | Roundtable 1 - Are we ready for a Living Building Challenge for a Clean and Sustainable Future?

Moderator: Prof. King Lun Yeung, Director of the France-HKUST Innovation Hub, Associate Director of Environmental Central Facility and Environmental Engineering Program, HKUST

• The Honourable Wong Kam-sing, GBS, JP, Secretary for the Environment, HKSAR Government
• Mr. Pierre-Eric Saint-André, CEO of Bouygues and President, French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong
• Mr. Kelvin Li, Business Development Director, Schneider Electric
• Prof. Hong K. Lo, Director of GREAT Smart Cities Institute, HKUST
• Prof. Alexis K.H. Lau, Associate Director, Institute for the Environment, HKUST

4:15 - 5:15 PM | Roundtable 2 – Green Finance: How Can it Help Fight Climate Change?

Moderator: Mrs. Karine Hirn, Vice-President of French Foreign Trade Advisors in Hong Kong, co-founder of East Capital

• Ms. Tracy Wong Harris, Deputy Secretary General, Hong Kong Green Finance Association
• Dr. Michel Roy, Senior Regional Officer Asia-Pacific, Crédit Agricole CIB
• Mr. Hugo Leung, CEO Hong Kong Branch, BNP Paribas
• Mr. Johannes Hack, CEO Hong Kong Branch DZ BANK AG
• Prof. Alicia Garcia Herrero, Adjunct Professor for the Institute of Emerging Market Studies, HKUST

To see detailed presentation of our speakers: https://ienv.ust.hk/events/5thAnniversaryParisAgreement