SEE attends C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group's Steering Committee meeting in Dubai (with photos)
5.12.2023

The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, attended the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Mr Tse also attended the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group's Steering Committee meeting on December 3 (Dubai time) to exchange views on topics such as green energy transformation and corporate social responsibility with other committee members as well as sharing the experience of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. Established in 2005, C40 is a global network of mayors committed to connecting cities around the world to take urgent action to confront the climate crisis. Hong Kong became a member city in 2007. Hong Kong is a member of the C40 Steering Committee representing the Central East Asia Region. Yesterday morning (December 4, Dubai time), Mr Tse visited Archireef, a Hong Kong company in Abu Dhabi, the UAE and learned about the company's latest 3D printing technology to create artificial habitats for marine species threatened by climate change. He also visited WeRide, a technology company of autonomous driving. Mr Tse was briefed about their autonomous driving technology and experience in conducting autonomous driving tests. During his attendance at the COP28, Mr Tse also met with representatives from other regions to share experience and exchange views on topics of mutual concern. In the afternoon of December 3, Mr Tse met with the Head of Indonesia Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics, Professor Dwikorita Karnawati, to introduce the policies and measures of the HKSAR Government in combating climate change. They exchanged views on climate issues of mutual concern and future co-operation on climate projection. Yesterday, he was joined by the Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Financial Services), Ms Salina Yan, in meeting with the Singaporean delegation led by the Deputy Secretary of the Strategy Group at the Prime Minister's Office of Singapore, Miss Cindy Khoo. They shared the strategies and progress in carbon reduction in the two places and also exchanged experience on topics such as voluntary carbon market trading, sustainable finance, and green bonds. Yesterday morning, Ms Yan and the Commissioner for Climate Change of the Environment and Ecology Bureau, Mr Wong Chuen-fai, attended the event on "China Carbon Market Development and Outlook" held at the COP28 China Pavilion and exchanged ideas with other participants, including the Director-General of Directorate-General for Climate Action of European Commission, Mr Kurt Vandenberghe; the Global Director for Climate Change Group of the World Bank Group, Ms Jennifer J. Sara; and the President of International Emissions Trading Association, Mr Dirk Forrister. Ms Yan also attended the COP28 "Global Climate Action Through Fostering Sustainable Finance" event afterwards, where Intensel Limited, a Hong Kong-based climate technology company, was awarded the COP28 UAE TechSprint Award for its artificial intelligence solutions to scale up climate action. Mr Wong attended the press conference on "Opportunities for Greater Bay Area Climate Collaboration" at the COP28 venue organised by the Institute for Climate and Carbon Neutrality of the University of Hong Kong to introduce the climate action in Hong Kong. Mr Tse will continue his visit in Dubai today (December 5, Dubai time).