CCICED High-level Forum for Strategically Developing a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area under the Vision of Carbon Neutrality
On October 8-9, 2024, the High-level Forum for Strategically Developing a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area under the Vision of Carbon Neutrality, organized by the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), was held at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), with CORE as one of the co-sponsors. The forum included a one-day "The Workshop on Sustainable Blue Economy in the Greater Bay Area for Carbon Neutrality" (hereinafter referred to as the "Workshop") and a half-day "The Strategic Dialogue on Coordinated Development and Integrated Ocean Management in the Greater Bay Area" (hereinafter referred to as the "Strategic Dialogue").
The "Workshop" focused on discussions regarding ocean economy, blue finance, blue transition, and ocean governance under the vision of carbon neutrality. Prof. Jianping Gan, the Director of CORE, attended the meeting and delivered an insightful speech titled "Ocean-Based Climate Change Solutions: Practices in the Greater Bay Area". During his presentation, Prof. Gan highlighted HKUST's advanced ocean monitoring systems that provide critical data to local and regional governments for climate change risk assessment and early warning capabilities. CORE members such as Prof. Jie Xu from the University of Macau, and Prof. Alessandro Stocchino from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University also participated in the Forum. CORE members conducted in-depth cross-disciplinary exchanges with experts from the Special Policy Study on Ocean Governance (Ocean SPS) of CCICED, as well as outstanding representatives from academia and industry in the GBA, aiming to contribute to the sustainable blue transition of the ocean economy in the GBA.
The "Strategic Dialogue" invited relevant government representatives from the GBA, notably from the Hong Kong SAR, to engage in a high-level strategic dialogue on topics such as strategies for addressing climate change, the present and blueprint of sustainable ocean economic development, and cross-boundary collaboration in integrated ocean management under the carbon neutrality vision. A focus of the dialogue was HKUST's ongoing partnership with regional authorities to establish an integrated coastal monitoring network that provides real-time data for disaster prediction and risk management. CORE members proactively discuss with the government representatives how HKUST's research and technological innovations could further strengthen the region's climate resilience through enhanced early warning systems. These collaborative efforts aim to jointly promote high-quality development of the sustainable ocean economy in the GBA while improving the region's capacity to anticipate and respond to climate-related risks.
