The 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (“COP29”) concluded at Baku, Azerbaijan November 2024 with key themes centred on implementing actionable finance mechanism and strategies to achieve decarbonisation targets, reshaping global supply chains, and addressing challenges posed by emerging regulatory mechanisms such as Article 6, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (“CBAM”), and the ISSB standards.
Co-organised by the Business Environment Council (“BEC”), Civic Exchange (“CEx”), and HKUST Institute for the Environment and Division of Environment and Sustainability (“HKUST-IENV/ENVR”), the Post-COP29 Hong Kong Forum convened Hong Kong’s COP29 participants, business leaders, and key stakeholders to delve into the implications of COP29 outcomes for the region.
Event Details
Date: 16 January 2025 (Thursday)
Time: 9:30a.m. – 12:15p.m. (Registration starts at 9:10a.m.)
Venue: BEC Auditorium, G/F, 77 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong
Language: English
Fee: Free of charge but registration is required
Programme
| Time | Activity |
| 9:30 - 9:35a.m. |
Opening Remarks: Setting the scene to navigate COP29 outcomes Mr Simon Ng, CEO, Business Environment Council |
| 9:35 - 9:50a.m. |
Updates from global scientific community on climate impacts and risks
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| 9:50 - 10:40a.m. |
Panel 1: Post-COP29 Reflections
Moderator: Dr Lionel Mok, Sustainable Finance Program Lead, Civic Exchange Speakers:
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| 10:40 - 11:10a.m. | Networking Break |
| 11:10a.m. - 12:10p.m. |
Panel 2: Road to COP30 - Role of Hong Kong as Financial Centre
Moderator: Mr Merlin Lao, Head – Policy and Research, Business Environment Council Speakers:
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| 12:10 - 12:15p.m. |
Closing Remarks Mr Lawrence Iu, Executive Director, Civic Exchange |
Speakers *arranged in alphabetical order by last names
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Mr Lawrence Iu Lawrence Iu is the Executive Director of Civic Exchange. His research and engagement projects focus on climate change modelling and carbon neutrality policy issues. Mr Iu previously worked in a multinational corporation and a higher institution, where he coordinated environmental sustainability and occupational health & safety projects across Asia Pacific and led emerging technology management, circular economy and green chemistry research. He was awarded two research grants for enhancing process hazard assessment. Mr Iu holds a Master of Philosophy in Environmental Engineering, a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Management and a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical and Bioproduct Engineering from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
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Ms Jiangwen Guo Jiangwen Guo is a Senior Research Fellow with the Environment and Society Centre at Chatham House. Her research interests are policy analysis of international and Chinese climate policy and governance, environment governance, sustainable supply chains, and green growth plans and implementations. She holds 20s years’ experience in the related areas in developing countries with significant policy deployment. She directs the UK–China climate risk assessment cooperation, with strategic guidance to ensure that climate risk assessment leads to effective climate risk management at the global, national, and subnational levels.
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Mr Andy Law Andy is the Director of Sustainability at the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA) and leads initiatives to support the Hong Kong community in their sustainability reporting journey. He is a seasoned professional in the field with over a decade of experience in climate and sustainability, ESG (environment, social, and governance), assurance, and business advisory. Andy has extensive knowledge across various sustainability topics, including sustainability reporting and disclosures (such as ISSB, HKEX ESG Code, and GRI), target setting (including Science Based Targets), climate change resilience, and assessment through indexes and ratings like S&P CSA, CDP, and MSCI. His experience also encompasses carbon credits and pricing, corporate sustainability strategies, and decarbonization efforts. Andy has collaborated with corporations across diverse industries—such as real estate, construction, manufacturing, retail, logistics, and financial services—both locally and internationally. He is committed to advancing sustainability practices and helping organizations navigate the complexities of sustainability.
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Mr Merlin Lao Mr Merlin Lao is Head – Policy & Research at BEC. He leads the team to develop clear policy positions on pressing climate and environmental topics in Hong Kong, through undertaking research on latest domestic and international trends, engaging with the Hong Kong SAR Government and connecting insights of the local business sector. He is keen on net-zero transition that not only looks at decarbonisation, but also a more equal and liveable built environment. Mr Lao is a programme management professional with over 10 years of climate change and environment career experience across private, public and non-profit sectors in East Asia, with major exposure in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and South Korea. Prior to joining BEC, he was the senior programme manager at an international non-governmental organisation driving sustainable cities agenda in China, Japan, Mongolia and South Korea, covering topics such as air quality, low-emission development, urban resilience, circular economy and nature-based solutions.
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Mr Simon Mak Simon Mak is the founder and Chairman of the Ascent Partners Foundation. In this role, he leads initiatives to support various environmental efforts. He represented Sri Lanka at COP28, where he participated in climate change discussions and supported the Tropical Belt Initiative. At COP29, he serves as an observer, contributing to global sustainable development dialogues.
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Dr Lionel Mok Lionel Mok is the Sustainable Finance Programme Lead for Civic Exchange. He is responsible for managing the organisation’s efforts to conduct research and engage with stakeholders on the integration of sustainability considerations into financial market practices. Lionel has previously worked for Climate Bonds Initiative and the International Finance Corporation.
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Prof Debra Roberts Professor Debra Roberts is a natural scientist who has spent four decades working at the science-policy-practice interface at local and international levels. She was elected as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Co-Chair of Working Group II for the sixth assessment cycle (2015-2023). Professor Roberts has held several international advisory roles, for example in the Global Commission on Adaptation; United Cities and Local Governments; ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability; the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Summit; Global Commission for SDG Urban Finance; the WMO World Weather Research Programme; UN-Habitat and UNEP. She was also a lead negotiator for the South African delegation involved in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations. In 2019 and 2022/23 she was included in a list of the World’s 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy. Professor Roberts has been awarded Honorary Doctorates for her local and international climate change and environmental work by the University of Twente (The Netherlands), University of Cape Town (South Africa) and Rhodes University (South Africa). She is currently an Honorary Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in the School of Life Sciences and holds the Professor Willem Schermerhorn Chair in Open Science from a Majority World Perspective at the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation at the University of Twente. She is President of the AXA Research Fund Scientific Board.
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Mr Hendrik Rosenthal Hendrik is responsible for the Group’s sustainability-related strategy, reporting and communications. He supports the senior management in sustainability and climate change-related risk management and advises on sustainability matters of the Group’s power business in the Asia-Pacific region. With 20 years of experience in environmental management across the public, private and NGO sectors, Hendrik previously led research and consulting projects in Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore. He began his career in natural resource management and environmental policy, through various positions at Canadian government agencies in environment and development. After moving to Hong Kong in 2008, Hendrik promoted sustainability practices via private sector projects and through policy engagement for industry associations. Prior to joining CLP, he was a senior manager of applied sustainability in Singapore working for a multinational company.
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Ms Carmen Tsang Carmen is an experienced sustainable finance professional with a focus in impact investing and sustainable finance. She joined CACIB’s Sustainable Investment Banking (SIB) team in 2018, and has made key contributions on the green structuring aspects in a range of milestone transactions in the Asia-Pacific region, including the inaugural and subsequent Hong Kong SAR Government Green Bonds, debut South Korea Government Green & Sustainability Bond, ICBC’s mega Greater Bay Green Bond, AIIB’s Sustainable Development Bond Framework, and China’s first onshore tri-party green repo, etc. She serves in the cornerstone member working group of the Alliance for Green Commercial Banks, and is in the Advisory Committee for the HKUST BSc Green & Sustainable Finance programme. Carmen started her career in UBS AG as a fixed income advisor in wealth management, and subsequently joined a boutique impact advisory firm facilitating capital flows to microfinance mandates in Asia. Carmen obtained a degree in BBA majoring in Global Business and Operations Management from the HKUST. She is a certified ESG Analyst of the EFFAS, an Associate Green Finance Professional of the Hong Kong Institute of Bankers, a holder of the CFA Institute’s Certificate in ESG Investing, and a Carbon Audit Professional (CAP).
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Mr David von Eiff, PhD Mr von Eiff has a combined 13 years of experience in environmental compliance, research, and sustainability. He obtained his Doctor of Philosophy at the City University of Hong Kong and his Master of Science in Environmental Economics and Public Policy at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. His main research areas address the economic, sustainability and climate change issues associated with water supply management decisions. He has conducted extensive research projects and authored several works including publications on a range of topics. Most recently, he authored a public-facing report which analysed and recommended potential changes for Hong Kong’s water management framework. His work has focused on the carbon footprint of the water supply, using a life-cycle analysis approach to analysis various public policy decisions and water mixes. He has also studied the importance of governance and the governance capacity of the Water supplies department on achieving long term sustainability.
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Prof Wang Yi Prof Wang Yi is the Director of the Center for Carbon Neutrality Strategy of the Institutes of Science and Development (ISD) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), member of Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) of China. Prior to current position, Prof. Wang was Vice President of the CASISD (2016-2022) and Director-General of CAS Institute of Policy and Management (2005-2015). Before 2005, he was a Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy at the CAS Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (1997-2004). Prof Wang’s current posts include: Member of the NPC Committee of Environment Protection and Resources Conservation; Professor of UCAS School of Public Policy and Management; Vice chair of the China Expert Panel on Climate Change; Member of China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) and Co-Team Leader of CCICED Special Policy Study on Climate; Lead advisor of Chinese Delegation to UNFCCC COP; Independent Advisor to the CIFF Programme Investment Committee; Member of Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Advisory Council; Member of the WEF Tropical Forest Alliance’s (TFA) Steering Committee. He also served as former vice chair of the ISO Climate Change Coordinating Committee (2014-2016) and advisor of a dozen of domestic and bi- and multi-lateral international organizations, foundations, and associations related to energy, the environment, and sustainable development.
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Mr Ronald Young Ronald is Head of Sustainable Banking Development at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. He is responsible for the formulation and implementation of banking policy to promote sustainable banking activities and facilitate the management of climate and related risks. Prior to his current role, Ronald was Head of Sustainable Finance for Asia at a major international bank, where he completed numerous landmark Green, Social, Sustainability and Sustainability-Linked transactions in the financing and capital markets. Besides, he was an active member of the sustainable finance community in the region, playing leadership roles in a number of industry associations as well as contributing to market development and capacity building. Ronald had over 20 years of experience in banking, finance and investment with leading institutions based in New York, London, Singapore and Hong Kong. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor in Economics (concentration in Finance) from the Wharton School and a Bachelor in Civil Engineering Systems from the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Ronald also holds a Master of Business Law and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. |
