Smart city, research policy, regulatory policy

for technological innovations, higher education policy in innovation, knowledge transfer, privacy and security

The Earth’s climate is changing. The acute hazards growing in frequency and severity are unavoidable over the next decade at least and in all likelihoodbeyond. Climate change profoundly affects human life as well as the factors of production on which our economic activity is based.

In the face of unpredictable difficulties and severe challenges brought by climate change, policy makers will need to put in place the right tools, analytics, processes and governance to properly assess climate risks and reduce the further buildup of risk.

The Climate Risks & Environmental Governance (CREG) Cluster will drive scientific research among HKUST IPP’s researchers, students and other partners on critical climate change issues. CREG hopes to become a focal point for idea sharing, information exchange and cooperation among faculty, practitioners and industrial partners in order to engage policy issues to deepen our understanding of the science-policy-practice interface, and ultimately, create usable evidence, resulting from grant-funded projects.

Relevant Projects

Trans-regional Air Pollution Control in the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macau Greater Bay Area: The Interplay between Science and Policy

Science plays a crucial role in air pollution control policies. As such, science can inform policymakers about the nature of a problem and possible solutions. In many cases, however, information that is available to support decision-making is limited, which impacts the effectiveness of policies. Therefore, providing relevant and useful scientific evidence to policymakers is critical as it contributes to effectiveness of air pollution control policies.

In the Greater Bay Area, air pollution has been reduced substantially over the past decade. Moreover, the speed of improvement in this region has been identified as leading throughout China. The empirical puzzle of the region has managed to overcome its institutional obstacles and take control of its air pollution problem, in such a short period, remains largely underexplored.

Guangdong – Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Water Security

This project aims to establish a cross-disciplinary, open-ended and creative Greater Bay Area joint laboratory for water security. Focusing on the technological demands for solutions to floods and storms urges, water resources optimal allocation, water ecological environmental protection and restoration, we will provide comprehensive water security technological support for GBA, by conducting cross studies and achievement transformation on early warning and disaster management platform, water resources risk assessment, ecological restoration of water environment and human capabilities for water security.

Research Directions:

1. Mechanism of floods and disaster prevention and reduction system;
2. Optimal allocation and efficient use of water resources;
3. Protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystem and water environment;
4. Water security guarantee mechanism and governance capacity