The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Past Event
2026-01-22
Decode COP30: From Global Negotiation to Local Action – Strategies and Initiatives by NGOs to Promote Climate Resilience
The seminar “Decode COP30: From Global Negotiation to Local Action – Strategies and Initiatives by NGOs to Promote Climate Resilience”, organised by CarbonCare InnoLab, funded by the HKEX Foundation, and supported by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, was successfully held on 15 January 2026 at the Duke of Windsor Social Service Building. In addition to the Hong Kong youth delegates of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), the seminar also invited NGOs, funding bodies, corporations, and academics to explore the implications of COP30 and discuss how to integrate climate adaptation strategies into NGOs’ long-term planning to enhance organisational resilience.
In her welcome remarks, Ms. Ivy Leung, Executive Director of CarbonCare InnoLab, stated, “Frequent extreme weather events—including intense heat and heavy rain—are seriously affecting the daily lives of service users and the operational arrangements of organisations. We can no longer view climate change solely as an environmental issue; rather, we must consider holistically, from social services and public health to community development, how to build a truly climate-resilient city.”
Keynote speaker Mr. Arthur Lee, Commissioner for Climate Change in the Environment and Ecology Bureau of HKSARG, shared Hong Kong’s carbon neutrality targets and climate adaptation measures. These include strengthening infrastructure, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and promoting community education and innovative solutions to address extreme weather. This was followed by a keynote on “Climate Change and Health”. Dr. Law Chun-bon Alexander, Kowloon West Cluster Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority and member of the Council for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development, noted that Hong Kong’s healthcare system accounts for around 5% of the city’s total electricity consumption, representing very high energy demand. The Kowloon West Cluster is implementing a range of decarbonisation initiatives, including improving energy efficiency. Dr. Law also highlighted that climate change will increase health risks, and Hong Kong must prepare for the potential rise of infectious diseases such as dengue fever.
A key segment—Decoding COP30—featured two youth delegates, Ms. Nicole Lau and Mr. Ivan Lai, who attended COP30 in Belém, Brazil in November 2025. They summarised their experience and explained key progress, including
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The Belém Action Mechanism (BAM), which enhances technical assistance, capacity-building, and knowledge sharing to support low-carbon transitions;
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The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), which adopted voluntary indicators to assess adaptation progress in areas such as water resources, food, health, and ecosystems.
However, they noted that the roadmaps for phasing out fossil fuels and halting deforestation were turned into voluntary arrangements. The Hong Kong youth delegates, participating as NGO observers, are alumni of CarbonCare InnoLab’s programme, Climate Advocacy Training for Youth (CATY) and represented civil society at COP30 in calling for climate justice.
During the thematic discussion “NGO Climate Resilience Development Strategies”, speakers including Mr. Andy Lau, Head of Corporate Responsibility and Foundation Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), and Mr. Billy Wong, President of Hong Kong Blind Union, emphasised the need for NGOs, government, and businesses to establish a common language to define risks, measure impacts, and facilitate communication to enhance dialogue and collaboration. Mr. Anthony Wong, Business Director of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS), added that when discussing climate resilience, social service organisations must carefully consider how to rebuild relationships among individuals, groups, and institutions. Prof. Carlos Lo, Director of the Director of the Centre for Business Sustainability of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, advocated for developing an assessment framework tailored for NGOs to encourage self-improvement and respond to evolving societal needs. All speakers agreed that cross-sector collaboration and professional synergy are crucial future directions, enabling diversified funding sources and the exchange of knowledge and technologies.
In the afternoon session “Case Sharing: Climate Adaptation in Social Services”, representatives from the The Kwai Chung Subdivided Flat Residents Alliance, Land Education Foundation, and CarbonCare InnoLab shared several community projects that incorporate climate adaptation and rural revitalisation. Dr. Leung Chi-yuen, Lecturer in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, introduced the concept of “green social work”. Their sharing demonstrated how climate resilience elements can be integrated into daily operations—enhancing adaptation capacity while building stronger community relationships. During the “Climate Adaptation Action Design Workshop”, participants were divided into four groups to discuss climate risks, solutions, and available resources for different service users and NGO operations. Action plans and timelines were developed for four areas, (i) elderly, (ii) residents living in inadequate housing, (iii) work arrangements of NGO and (iv) facility management.
This seminar marks only the beginning of strengthening climate resilience among NGOs. CarbonCare InnoLab hopes that more NGOs will incorporate climate perspectives and enhance cross-sector collaboration when planning their development, enabling organisations to manage climate-related risks in both operations and service delivery.
Appendix:
CarbonCare InnoLab "Decode COP30 Seminar"
From Global Negotiation to Local Action:
Strategies and Initiatives by NGOs to Promote Climate Resilience
Date: 15 January 2026, Thursday
Time: 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Venue: Auditorium, Duke of Windsor Social Service Building, 15 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai Language: Cantonese
Seminar Rundown
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10:00 |
Welcome Remarks |
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10:15 |
Keynote Speech (1): Building Climate-Resilient Cities Together: Hong Kong's Climate Adaptation Strategies |
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10:25 |
Keynote Speech (2): Healthcare and Climate Change |
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10:45 |
Decode COP30: Key Takeaways |
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11:00 |
Thematic discussion: Development Strategy for Climate Resilience in NGOs |
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14:00 |
Case Sharing: Climate Adaptation in Social Services |
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15:00 |
Co-production Workshop: Climate Adaptation Action Design |
Guests
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Mr. Arthur Lee |
Commissioner for Climate Change in the Environment and Ecology Bureau of HKSARG |
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Dr Law Chun-bon Alexander |
Kowloon West Cluster Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority and member of the Council for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development |
Speakers
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Mr. Andy Lau |
Head of Corporate Responsibility and Foundation Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) |
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Ms. Ivy Leung |
Executive Director of CarbonCare InnoLab |
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Mr. Wong Kin Wai, Anthony |
Business Director of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) |
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Mr. Wong Chun Hang Billy |
President of Hong Kong Blind Union |
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Prof. Lo Wing-hung, Carlos |
Director of the Centre for Business Sustainability of The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
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Mr. Kwok Hiu Chung |
Senior Programme Manager of CarbonCare InnoLab |
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Dr. Leung Chi Yuen |
Lecturer of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Applied Social Sciences |
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Ms. Ng Chun Wing, Miffy |
Operation and Development Director of Land Education Foundation and Good Old Soil |
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Mr. Tai Long Tat |
Member of The Kwai Chung Subdivided Flat Residents Alliance |