The 4th International Conference on Climate Change Pushes Climate Action Forward

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 21 April 2017 - The 4th International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC2017@HK), which is organised by the Hong Kong Climate Change Forum and begins Friday (21 April 2017), aims at accelerating momentum on combating climate change, as well as drawing actionable insights from international experiences particularly relevant to Hong Kong.

"The mission of the Hong Kong Climate Change Forum is to help the community in acquiring knowledge, best practices and new ideas to develop strategies and measures to meet the various challenges of climate change," said Johnny Chan, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the ICCC2017@HK.

The theme of this year's conference is "Post-Paris Agreement: Time to Act." The Paris Agreement, which came into force in November 2016, appeals to nations to limit their greenhouse-gas emissions and contain the impact of global warming. More than 140 signatory states and parties, including China and many Asia-Pacific countries, have ratified this ambitious multilateral treaty. These signatories are committed to "keeping the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius."

Hong Kong plays a vital part to help fulfil the obligations that China has under the Paris Agreement. As such, the Hong Kong government unveiled the Climate Action Plan 2030+ in January. The plan sets an ambitious target of carbon intensity reduction of up to 70 percent by 2030, through reducing the dependency on coal and increasing the use of renewable energy sources in electricity generation, as well as improving energy efficiency of buildings and infrastructure.

The ICCC2017@HK is kicked off with a keynote speech delivered by Ms Christine Loh, Acting Secretary for the Environment of the Hong Kong SAR Government, on Friday. The two-day conference features nearly 20 presentations and four panel discussions, led by a diverse range of academics, government officials and experts from the private sector. Experts and practitioners from across Asia and Europe share their success stories and challenges through seminars and case studies, as well as showcase cutting-edge technology and innovative financing and risk-management tools.

For issues of a massive scale like climate change, a concerted effort and enthusiasm from various stakeholders is crucial to achieving lasting solutions. The organising committee is extending its special thanks to co-organisers and sponsors, without which ICCC2017@HK wouldn't come to fruition.

About the International Conference on Climate Change

The International Conference on Climate Change (ICCC2017@HK) is the fourth instalment of this conference series, and is hosted by the Hong Kong Climate Change Forum (HKCCF). The HKCCF and its ICCC series strive to educate the professional community of Hong Kong to prepare the public and private sector to join in sharing responsibilities in the new low-carbon economy. Through education, mitigation and adaptation, HKCCF aims to guide Hong Kong professionals and organisations toward facing the serious environmental and societal challenges of global climate change. The ICCC is co-organised by the Asian Academy of International Law, Civic Exchange, Friends of the Earth, Green Council, Guy Carpenter Asia-Pacific Climate Impact Centre, Hong Kong Green Building Council, Hong Kong Green Strategy Alliance, Open University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. For more details, please visit ICCC website: www.iccc.hk.