The One Earth Summit, hosted by the Institute of Sustainability and Technology and co-organized with the One Earth Alliance and the Giving to Amplify Earth Action initiative launched by the World Economic Forum ( WEF ), was held in Hong Kong on March 28.

The summit, whose theme was billed as ‘Driving systemic change towards a sustainable future through impact investment and technological innovation’, attracted over 300 influential leaders and change-makers from various sectors, including finance, start-ups, foundations, media, civil society organizations and academia from around the world, focusing on dialogue aimed at actionable solutions to respond to global population growth.

During the forum, speakers focused on three major topics:

• Buildings and transportation – Exploring the future development of green buildings and smart transportation
• Energy transition – Sharing the latest technologies and investment opportunities in renewable energy and the energy internet of things
• Food and water resources – Analyzing global strategies for sustainable management of food and water resources.

Hong Kong financial secretary, Paul Chan Mo-po, speaking at the summit, took the opportunity to promote the city as a sustainability finance centre: “As an international financial centre and a leader in green finance, Hong Kong can help bridge the funding gap for green projects. Hong Kong’s issuance of green bonds has ranked first in the Asian market for seven consecutive years, with a market share reaching approximately 45% last year.

“At the same time, Hong Kong is seeking innovative financing solutions, such as tokenized green bonds and infrastructure financing securitization, to attract new investors. Hong Kong is committed to achieving carbon neutrality before 2050, focusing on three major strategies: zero-carbon power generation, green buildings and sustainable transportation, as well as waste reduction.

“Global measures to tackle climate change create new business opportunities in burgeoning markets for green products and services. The budget announced earlier this month includes the establishment of a GreenTech Hub, which will accommodate 200 technology firms and serve as a nexus for public-private partnerships and international collaboration, with hopes that more private capital will drive green technology development and build a prosperous ecosystem.”

Another speaker at the summit, Poman Lo, chair of the summit’s board of advisory, founder of the Institute of Sustainability and Technology and vice-chairman of Regal Hotels Group, adds: “We are a massive hub of human capital, talent and innovation. Asia can surely play a pivotal role in leading the global net-zero transition. One Earth Summit is part of the major transformation underway to bring Hong Kong closer to our ambition of being an international hub for sustainable finance and green innovation.”

Other speakers at the event included Rob Van Riet, the WEF’s senior special adviser to the managing board, and Amy Lo, UBS Global Wealth Management Asia’s chair and UBS Hong Kong’s head and chief executive.