On Tuesday 17 April 2018, Civic Exchange hosted an event Catching the Wave in HKUST’s Business School in Central on how Hong Kong could spearhead regional green finance development. Visiting Fellow Paula di Perna joined industry practitioners and experts on discussing the importance of embedding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into mainstream investing and finance. To an audience of more than 100, which included Undersecretary of the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau Joseph Chan, Catching the Wave gathered key stakeholders to highlight how green finance can meaningfully improve Hong Kong’s business, environmental, and social livelihood.

Hong Kong’s unique role as a major city in China and legendary international financial center make it potentially an ideal hub for the growing field of green finance, especially as environmental concerns compound in Asia.   And, in that Hong Kong’s own population is increasingly aware of the damaging effects of air pollution and climate change, Hong Kong would greatly benefit from an outlook that combines both environmental and economic concern.  The question is:  Can and will Hong Kong take full advantage of the new needs and opportunities at hand?

To answer these and other questions, Civic Exchange, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Institute for the Environment (IENV), and the HKUST School of Business present a special public event.