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The “Action for Earth” Summit, one of the flagship events of Hong Kong Climate Week 2026, is being held today at Rayson Huang Theatre, The University of Hong Kong. The Summit brought together representatives from the United Nations, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Hong Kong SAR Government, the business sector, and leading international academic institutions to examine policy pathways, frontier research and actionable strategies for climate adaptation—reflecting the growing international consensus to shift the focus from “mitigation” to proactive “adaptation”.

The Summit opened with remarks from Professor Peng Gong, Vice-President and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic Development) of HKU; Ms Yang Liu, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Climate Change at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment; and Mr Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

Two keynote sessions were featured during the Summit. The first, titled “Priority Policies for Global Climate Adaptation,” brought together Dr Youssef Nassef, Director of the Adaptation Division at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); Mr Joseph Chan, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Hong Kong SAR Government; Mr Tian Chen, Director-General of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment; and Mr Yi Wang, Member of the Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee of the National People’s Congress. The speakers shared insights on climate policy approaches across different regions, offering valuable perspectives for cross-border climate action.

The second keynote session, “Frontier Research for Global Climate Adaptation,” featured three academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering—Professor Huadong Guo, Professor Jianya Gong, and Professor Kebin He— who explored innovative climate technologies and applications from a scientific perspective.

A roundtable discussion brought together Mr Arthur Lee, Commissioner for Climate Change of the Hong Kong SAR Government; Mr Patrick Ho, Head of Sustainable Development at Swire Properties; Mr Thomas Lui, Director of Decarbonisation and Integrated System Planning at CLP Power; Mr Leo Horn-Phathanothai, Founder and Convenor of Bangkok Climate Action Week; and Dr Ting Li, Managing Director and Chief Representative of the Beijing Office at RMI. The discussion was moderated by Mr Sze Ping Lo, Program Director of the Sequoia Climate Foundation.

The Summit also marked the official launch of the CATL-HKU ICCN Joint Laboratory. This builds on a strategic partnership established in June 2025, bringing together CATL’s new energy technology leadership and HKU’s research excellence to accelerate the transition toward a zero carbon future.

For the third consecutive year, HKU’s ICCN has organised a major climate event. This seven day Hong Kong Climate Week, themed “From Mitigation to Adaptation – Bridging Global Consensus and Local Implementation,” brings together policy, industry, business and research perspectives. It aims to leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantages as an international financial centre and global connectivity hub to accelerate a just, inclusive and resilient net-zero transition.

ABOUT HONG KONG CLIMATE WEEK (HKCW)
Hong Kong Climate Week (HKCW) is a cross-sectoral climate collaboration platform initiated by The University of Hong Kong's Institute for Climate and Carbon Neutrality (ICCN). Building on the resounding success of the Hong Kong Climate Forum in 2024 and 2025, HKCW marks a significant milestone in 2026—expanding from two years of focused professional forums into the first-ever week-long, city-wide climate movement.
 

Leveraging Hong Kong's unique advantages as an international financial center and global connectivity hub, HKCW systematically brings together diverse elites across policy, finance, technology, and culture. It is dedicated to bridging global climate vision with local action, 2 creating a high-level climate action platform with reach across Asia and scalable impact worldwide—accelerating a just, inclusive, and resilient net-zero transition.

Visit our website for more information: www.hkclimateweek.org

ABOUT HKU’s THE INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATE AND CARBON NEUTRALITY
The Institute for Climate and Carbon Neutrality (ICCN) at the University of Hong Kong is dedicated to establishing itself as a prominent global hub for climate science research. Its focus includes studying the effects of climate change on both ecosystems and humans, as well as developing strategies and technologies for mitigating and adapting to these changes. The institute intends to facilitate connections and collaborations between Hong Kong and mainland China, the Greater Bay Area, and other neighboring regions to foster innovation and exchange in clean technology.

Visit our website for more information: https://iccn.hku.hk/