The Fifth Anniversary of Paris Agreement Conference

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and to echo the United Nations high-level meeting occurring on 12th December 2020, the Consulate General of France is organizing a joint high-level conference in partnership with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).

Our shared goal is to put climate and environment at the center of the political agenda locally, by gathering political, institutional, business and NGO stakeholders. As a global player, France has taken a leading role in fighting climate change since 2015. In parallel, as a global academic hub, HKUST has stepped up its policy to support sustainable development in Hong Kong and beyond, through the establishment of the Institute for the Environment and implementation of ambitious initiatives on its campus.

HKUST and France enjoy a strong cooperation relationship, which has blossomed further over the years with the creation in 2018 of the "France-HKUST Innovation Hub" to promote scientific communication and cooperation. This conference will be labeled as the inaugural 'Innovation Hub Rendez-Vous’, a new quarterly-meeting format involving Hong Kong and French figures from science and technology.

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Two main topics will be addressed:

1. Are we ready for a Living Building Challenge for a Clean and Sustainable Future?
   Sustainable buildings and energy efficiency are one of the most important environmental issues, especially in a globalized city like Hong Kong. This roundtable will gather industries and researchers on this topic, with a study case of HKUST sustainable campus.
2. Green Finance: How Can it Help Fight Climate Change?
   Since 2007, when the first green bonds were issued to support the development of climate change solutions, the market has substantially grown. Nearly 200 countries agreed to mobilize green finance in 2015 under the terms of the Paris Agreement.  What assessment can be made today? What are the latest trends of the green finance market?