BEC Climate & Nature Theatre
From Crisis to Opportunity: Bridging Climate and Nature for City Resilience
11 Sep (Thur) Day 1 : 11:40 – 12:20
This fireside chat will examine into the critical interconnections between climate and nature, highlighting how biodiversity and healthy functioning ecosystems are essential to building and maintaining Hong Kong’s resilience amid intensifying extreme weather events and disruption of natural ecosystem services. The two expert speakers will focus on the pivotal role of public, private and other stakeholders in driving change and outline actionable pathways for collaboration, partnership and investment to ensure the city not only adapts to a rapidly changing climate but leverages opportunities to create a more resilient future.
Learnings:
- Gain a deeper understanding of how preserving biodiversity can bolster city-level resilience against extreme weather and physical risk
- Highlight real-world examples of nature-based solutions that can feasibly be integrated into urban planning and policy
Post-event actions:
- Advocate for action that supports biodiversity preservation and utilises nature conservation as a key element of Hong Kong’s resilience strategy
- Spark ideas for potential partnerships between Governments, businesses and NGOs to implement solutions that can address climate adaptation and biodiversity loss
Speakers
Moderator
Simon Ng
Chief Executive Officer
Simon Ng
Chief Executive Officer
Mr Simon Ng is Chief Executive Officer of Business Environment Council (BEC). He works closely with BEC Board of Directors in setting and implementing organisation goals and strategies conducive to supporting BEC members and the wider business community in the transition towards net-zero economy and a sustainable Hong Kong.
My Sustainability Goals for 2024:
Mobilise corporates in Hong Kong for accelerated climate action.
Speaking at:
Day 1
From Crisis to Opportunity: Bridging Climate and Nature for City ResilienceDay 2
Opening Welcome for Day 2
Dindo Campilan
Regional Director for Asia & Hub Director for Oceania
IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature
Dindo Campilan
IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature
Regional Director for Asia & Hub Director for Oceania
Dr. Dindo Campilan has worked in senior leadership roles for over 20 years with the world’s leading international development and research organizations in agriculture, food and environment. He is currently Regional Director for Asia and Hub Director for Oceania of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest and oldest environment organization. He directs IUCN’s program serving 48 countries in Asia and Oceania to support government, non-government and private business sectors towards a nature-positive future for healthy planet and people.
Earlier he held similar leadership roles with: i) CGIAR international agricultural research centers, the world’s largest agri-food research and development network, and ii) International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN agency mandated to set global standards, develop policies and devise programs promoting decent work. He holds a PhD in Agriculture and Environment Sciences from Wageningen University in The Netherlands.
My Sustainability Goals for 2025
– catalyzing public-private investments for nature-positive sustainability goals and metrics
– mainstreaming the climate-biodiversity nexus in cross-sectoral sustainability agendas
Alexandre Leitão
Consul General
Consulate General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong
Alexandre Leitão
Consulate General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong
Consul General
ALEXANDRE LEITÃO (Coimbra, 08.12.1965) is a career diplomat since 1999, currently holding the position of Consul General of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong.
Alexandre Leitão has university degrees in Geography (University of Coimbra), Political Science and International Relations (Portuguese Catholic University) and Public Policies (ISCTE–Lisbon University Institute).
Since the beginning of his professional activity, in 1983, he has held several positions in numerous fields of activities, among which:
- 1994-98. Executive city councilor for Environment and Tourism, and CEO, Water and Sanitation Municipal Company, Coimbra.
- 1994–96. Member of the Board, ERSUC S.A. (intermunicipal company for management of waste in the Centre Region of Portugal).
- 1997–99. Member of the Board, Tourism of the Centre of Portugal Regional Committee, Coimbra.
- 2002. Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Portugal in Dakar, Senegal.
- 2005. Head, European Parliament Affairs, and national representative at the General Affairs Group of the Council of the EU (GAG), Portuguese Permanent Representation to the European Union (Brussels); GAG’s Chair and Council’s representative to the European Parliament in the 2nd semester of 2007.
- 2008. Consul General in Benguela, Angola.
- 2012. Director, Consular Emergency Office, MFA, Lisbon.
- 2014. Director, Service for Cypher and IT, and MFA’s CIO, Lisbon.
- 2015. Deputy diplomatic advisor of the Prime Minister, Lisbon.
- 2016. Ambassador of the European Union in Timor-Leste.
- 2019-22. Executive Vice-President, Organizing Committee of the 2nd United Nations Ocean Conference (Lisbon, 2022)
- 2020-23. Special Envoy for Climate affairs of Portugal, member of the EU Climate Ambassadors Network.
- 2023. Consul General of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong.
Carmen Or
Manager, Wetlands Research
WWF-Hong Kong
Carmen Or
WWF-Hong Kong
Manager, Wetlands Research
Dr. Carmen Or, the editor of “The State of Hong Kong Biodiversity 2025,” has been with WWF-Hong Kong since 2017 and is based at the Mai Po Nature Reserve. She leads and manages the research and monitoring program in Mai Po, providing critical insights that inform habitat management for the Reserve. In addition to experience on wetland research, Dr. Or earned her PhD in Biological Science from the University of Hong Kong, focusing on Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin. She is also a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Otter Specialist Group, contributing her expertise to the conservation of various species.
Supported by
Business Environment Council
Booth BEC6
Business Environment Council Limited (BEC) is an independent, charitable corporate membership organisation, established by the business sector in Hong Kong.
Since its establishment in 1992, BEC has been at the forefront of promoting environmental excellence by advocating the uptake of clean technologies and practices which reduce waste, conserve resources, prevent pollution and improve corporate environmental and social responsibility.
BEC offers sustainable solutions and professional services covering advisory, research, assessment, training and award programmes for government, business and the community, thus enabling environmental protection and contributing to the transition to a net-zero carbon economy.
