Christine Loh, former Under-Secretary for the Environment, Hong Kong SAR

Major powers across Asia – including some of the world’s biggest polluters – are demonstrating leadership on climate change, with Japan and South Korea committing to net-zero emissions by 2050 and China aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060. Realising these ambitions will require significant social transformations, including shifts in energy use, finance, infrastructure and transport systems.

However, with the COVID-19 pandemic crippling economies across the region, Asia faces significant challenges in tackling climate change – while being particularly vulnerable to its impacts.

In a briefing for Asia House Corporate Members, Prof Christine Loh, former Under-Secretary for the Environment, Hong Kong SAR, will share insights on China’s climate change actions, including its pledge to reach carbon neutrality and the implications for industry, business, and geopolitics. Prof Loh will also speak about Hong Kong’s potential role as a regional green finance hub, and the appetite for green transitions throughout Asia in a post-pandemic world.

The briefing is part of the Asia House COP26 Programme, which is driving global discussions on sustainability and the response of business and government to climate change.

Professor Christine Loh, SBS, OBE, is the Chief Development Strategist at Institute for the Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She is also Visiting Professor at the Anderson School of Management, UCLA, where she teaches an MBA course on nonmarket risks. From 2012 to 2017, Prof Loh was the Under-Secretary for the Environment of Hong Kong, overseeing the environmental policy portfolio that included energy, climate change, and biodiversity. She has served on commercial and non-profit boards, including the stock exchange in Hong Kong. Her current associations include CDP Worldwide and Global Maritime Forum, and she is an advisor to HSBC’s Climate Advisory Panel, as well as BASF’s Stakeholder Advisory Council.

This digital briefing is part of Asia House’s COP 26 Programme, a series of initiatives exploring key policy developments and business responses to climate change in the lead up to COP26 in the UK in November. The Programme has previously featured COP26 President Alok Sharma, and Ken O’Flaherty, the UK Government’s COP26 Regional Ambassador to Asia-Pacific and South Asia.

This digital briefing is held exclusively for Asia House Corporate Members. To register interest in attending, please contact Olivia Rondonuwu at olivia.rondonuwu@asiahouse.co.uk