HKUST Annual Report 2023-2024

48 Sustainable Horizons Committed to Combat Climate Change In early 2024, HKUST added to its regional and global contributions to mitigate climate change by becoming the hub host institution in Hong Kong for the My Climate Risk initiative, launched by the World Climate Research P r og r amme unde r t he Wo r l d Me t eo r o l og i ca l Organization. The endeavor seeks to facilitate the transfer of global climate insights into actionable local strategies, acting as a bridge between international expertise and regional needs to enhance climate resilience. Driving action-focused global dialogues, the HKUST President participated in the inaugural One Earth Summit in March 2024, organized in Hong Kong by the Institute of Sustainability and Technology and co-organized by the World Economic Forum’s GAEA Initiative and HKSAR government departments. The high-profile forum brought together 100 thought leaders and 500 change-makers to speed forward net-zero, nature-positive transition. In addition, the three-day “Surviving the Heat” Conference and public forum in May 2024, organized by HKUST, drew together international and local experts to focus on rapidly warming urban regions of Asia and innovative solutions to mitigate the multifaceted challenges. Spearheading Progress Toward Net-Zero Campus As shown by the inspiration behind the Living Lab joint declaration, the roots of HKUST’s international sustainability leadership are planted at home. In line with this, the University has developed a Net-Zero Action Plan to realize our goal of net-zero campus emissions by 2045. The plan focuses on several areas, including all new buildings to be net-zero carbon, aggressive investment in energy conservation, renewables and decarbonization, and cost-recovery mechanisms to fund decarbonization actions. Strategies for minimizing emissions from campus development have now been set