Views from the Top
• Interview video for the Summit
Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung
Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK
How do you see the collaboration?
The Chinese University has always been concerned with the environment. To help make Hong Kong a better, greener place, we work with multiple stakeholders to raise public awareness of environmental protection and sustainable development. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust shares our passion for the environment. The establishment of MoCC is not only a pioneering environmental initiative in Hong Kong, but also an opportunity to celebrate the links between HKJC and CUHK developed over decades.
How is the work of MoCC related to the missions of your institution?
- CUHK is active in inter-disciplinary environmental research and education, and in the transfer of knowledge and innovations from the University to the community. Through MoCC and Gaia’s various community programmes, we are reaching out to the public and schools to fulfil our green mission.
- Apart from serving the community, MoCC also provides CUHK students with an enriching and well-rounded experience through an internship programme. Over 80 CUHK students have been recruited and trained as MoCC interns. Interactions with the visitors allow the student interns to assist in sharing knowledge with the community, and to experience academic and personal growth.
What remains to be done?
MoCC will continue to deliver on its long-term plan to promote individual action to mitigate climate change and create a more environmentally responsible society. For example, to encourage the public to actively engage in green living, workshops and talks by experts are held regularly. Several times a year MoCC also features special theme-based exhibitions on new discoveries and developments, as well as interesting and diversified topics about climate change and the environment.
Your personal view on climate change?
As we have witnessed over the past years, the global climate and weather patterns are rapidly changing. The rise in global temperatures has caused more extreme weather events like flooding and heatwaves. To prepare for the potential effects of climate change, we need to understand the risks, cultivate a green culture and work out a plan for adaptation. The earlier we do that, the less it will cost and the better equipped we will be to cope with the threats.
Mr Leong Cheung
Executive Director, Charities and Community of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
How do you see the collaboration?
The Jockey Club extends warm congratulations to the Museum of Climate Change on the successful completion of its first year of operation. As the first museum of its kind in Hong Kong, MoCC is truly a breath of fresh air in a city where such green principles as natural lighting and ventilation, energy conservation and renewable energy usage are in dire need of promotion.
We are particularly grateful to Dr Rebecca Lee for her generosity in allowing the display of her valuable collection based on her lifelong fieldwork at the North Pole, South Pole and Mount Everest. These exhibits offer a vivid demonstration of global warming and climate change. When combined with the other varied interactive and multi-media exhibits, the museum offers an unprecedented opportunity for the public to better understand pressing issues concerning the environment, energy and sustainability.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the untiring work of The Chinese University of Hong Kong in setting up this magnificent museum, along with its related commitment to launching a five-year community engagement programme, the CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia, which encourages active public participation to create a greener and more sustainable community through knowledge transfer, public education programmes and carbon reduction partnerships.
CUHK is well qualified to undertake the programme, having already developed successful research and education programmes in environmental protection. As part of the Environment Project that the Club’s Charities Trust initiated in 2008, Initiative Gaia will disseminate those research results and green knowledge to the public through the museum and other channels, helping to enhance the city’s position in sustainability. Commendably, since the launch of the programme in 2012, two international conferences, 10 public forums, 12 workshops as well as two education fairs have been organised.
Dr Rebecca Lee
Founder of Polar Museum
Foundation; Honorary Fellow of CUHK
How do you see the collaboration?
- Setting up a museum dedicated to the theme of climate change has been my dream for decades. I have been lobbying the government and other organizations to establish a polar museum to share research findings and experiences of scientists. Unfortunately, my efforts rendered fruitless until Professor Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club lent me their hands. My dream finally came true last year.
- Through the exhibits at MoCC, visitors can learn more about the polar regions and the impact of climate change on the environment.
How is the work of MoCC related to your mission?
- In 1986, I was invited to participate in the second expedition to the Antarctica of the Chinese research team. My fate has since been intertwined with that of the polar regions. Having witnessed the impact of climate change on the environment, I am worried, and I am eager to raise public awareness and make a change. Through cooperation with mainland scientists and government officials, I hope, will facilitate information exchange and allow more people to understand how polar expeditions may contribute to save the environment.
- Art is a powerful medium. With my words and photography, I recorded the life in the polar regions. MoCC adopts a storytelling approach to take visitors on a journey to the polar areas, and learn the impacts of global warming and the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability. Our approaches are similar.
What remains to be done?
- The exhibits of MoCC will be updated regularly. I am identifying and collating suitable photos and information for the next update.
- I will also continue promoting MoCC to the public through different channels. I enjoy sharing my experience with the younger generation and hope to raise people’s environmental awareness.
Your personal view on climate change?
Impacts of climate change have become obvious. The global temperature is rising. The seasons are out of sync. Acid rain is falling constantly, while floods and droughts are occurring unpredictably. ‘What kind of an environment are we living in now? What kind of an environment are we willing to handover to our next generation?’ These are questions worth thinking about. I believe we should all treasure our resources and strive together to protect our environment. The future lies in our own hands.
