Hong Kong’s first blog for SDG education news and announcements
Alexander Zhang, member of Drop in the Ocean (DITO) at CIS here in Hong Kong, spoke at the Asia-Pacific Climate Week conference last week. ITS was very happy to mentor him developing his presentation and host his session. Alex has developed an excellent approach to how we think about action on climate for the future – PACE. P stands for pinpoint. We first need to pinpoint areas to target our involvement. DITO has pinpointed multiple sectors at school by partnering with Metanoia, a sustainability consultancy group and conducting a sustainability audit through the metric of carbon footprint. A is for acting upon pinpointed sectors. E.g. CIS banned all plastic drink packaging from cafeterias, installed solar panels, and set up a community farm to promote urban farming. C stands for communication which is crucial as it allows for greater awareness of sustainability. As such, DITO is now directing a community dialogue video series featuring different stakeholders. E stands . . .
Students with an interest in SDGs 3, 7, 10, 11, 12 and 13 should all take note of policy plans and initiatives addressing air pollution, emissions and any related cause or effect. The Hong Kong government has just released its Clean Air Plan 2035 which sets out current ideas in the city. This is very useful info for all students. You can also ask yourself – what are the real policy actions that will achieve these goals? . . .
UNFPA – the United Nations Population Fund – is high-lighting in 2021 how covid has impacted on reproductive health and how this is yet another example of how population policies often clash with the rights of women to make their own reproductive choices. It also exposed and exacerbated gender-based inequities: gender-based violence increased under lockdown, as did the risk of child marriage and female genital mutilation as programmes to abolish the harmful practices were disrupted. Significant numbers of women left the labour force – their often low-paying jobs were eliminated or caregiving responsibilities for children learning remotely or for homebound older people increased – destabilizing their finances, not just for now but in the long run. Anyone with an interest in SDGs 3, 5 & 10 will have interest here in particular. . . .
A report in the Guardian highlights the need for a binding global treaty … to phase out the production of “virgin” or new plastic by 2040. The solution to the blight of plastic pollution in the oceans and on land would be a worldwide agreement on limits and controls, says a special report in the journal Science. Since the 1950s about 8bn tonnes of plastic has been produced. The effects are everywhere. One of the reports authors, Nils Simon, said: “Plastics are ubiquitously found in increasing amounts worldwide, including in terrestrial environments and even inside the human body.” . . .
ITS YCI mentored students will be speaking at the Asia-Pacific Climate Week 2021 coming up 6-9 July. It is organised by UNFCCC, World Bank, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), and is a great opportunity for them to be thought leaders on the global stage. We’ll post more after they speak. . . .
Regional Climate Weeks inspire individuals and organizations to become part of the momentum created by the global climate agreement in Paris. In that sense it is a precursor to the next COP - COP26 in Glasgow. Bringing together diverse stakeholders in the public and private sectors around a common goal of addressing climate change, is the main goal of the Regional Climate Weeks. The Weeks comprise a series of events that provide space for a grassroots exchange of knowledge and best practices across the region on: Nationally Determined Contribution implementation, UN Sustainable Development Goals, and Global Climate Action. The APCW platform is for stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region. . . .
2021 is a historic year for global climate action at COP26. This is the year we either lose sight of the Paris targets, or it is the year we start implementing the Paris Agreement. It is our opportunity to increase global climate ambition in COVID-19 recovery and kick-start a decade of action. The Regional Climate Weeks 2021 build momentum towards success at COP26. The Virtual Thematic Sessions take the pulse of climate action in the region, explore climate challenges and opportunities, and showcase ambitious solutions. This is a platform for regional stakeholders to have their voice heard and contribute to COP26. . . .
Whenever you are looking to research what is happening in a particular place for the SDGs or simply sustainability in general, then it is always a good idea to find out what the official government position is and what resources the government provides. In Hong Kong the government website has an environment section which covers a wide variety of areas. These give you information about what Hong Kong is doing to encourage and promote sustainability, tell you what policies and government departments are involved and give pointers on non-government initiatives. You can use this as a good place to get ideas and start of lines of enquiry. . . .
