From New York to Hong Kong: Global Action at the Climate Leaders’ Assembly, the Role of Strategic Partnerships

August slipped away into a moment in time. But with the hubbub of New York Climate Week, September has been going 75 mph on a 35 mph road. And now, we have arrived at the latest edition of Carbonless Futures.

Our Climate Leaders’ Assembly has just concluded on 24 September, 2024 during New York Climate Week. More than 100 leaders assembled to discuss actionables in various verticals (Carbon Markets, Energy Transition, Green & Sustainable Finance, Emerging Technologies), forging important climate partnerships during the signature Catalytic Breakout Sessions. Read on to catch a glimpse of how the Assembly went.

In the same spirit of fostering collaboration, we would also like to highlight our strategic partnerships on another part of the globe - Hong Kong. We are grateful to have had the strong support of the city’s Business Environment Council (BEC) for our quest to accelerate the? decarbonisation of the built environment in Hong Kong. Check out the rest of the newsletter for the role of partnerships in developing a low carbon city.

As always, we share a curated selection of the latest decarbonisation news from Asia, focusing on our three core pillars: Innovation, Investment and Opportunity. We invite your feedback and encourage you to connect with us on LinkedIn, where you can share news tips, comments or topics you'd like to see covered in future editions.

Innovation | Investment | Opportunity

Innovation:

• Subscription-based solar park raises pre-seed round
• Closing the loop in Construction: Surplus and Surcy
• A European startup’s mission for solar panel recycling

Investment:

• Hong Kong, Dubai seek to strengthen ties on sustainable finance
• UK to give Asian Development Bank guarantee to unlock climate finance
• Singapore listcos must report direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions

Opportunity:

• Sumitomo plans $700m renewable energy buildup in India
• US$2.4 billion raised for Brooklyn’s Catalytic Transition Fund (CTF) in the Global South
• Rising Philippines’ cleantech startups have a funding gap to close

A glimpse at The Climate Leaders’ Assembly 2024

The Climate Leaders’ Assembly was a meeting of 100 C-suite leaders, innovators, and investors during New York Climate Week, designed for real climate action.

Through intimate breakout sessions led by Catalysts of the Assembly, we brought essential conversations about Asia to the global stage, exploring solutions to mobilise capital for green infrastructure, deliver clean energy solutions, accelerate sustainable finance and support emerging technologies.

These discussions are just the beginning. The Assembly has been designed to drive action beyond the event through the collaboration of participants connected at the event.?

Decarbonising Hong Kong: The Role of Strategic Partnerships in Regional Innovation

As Asia grapples with urgent environmental issues like climate change, resource scarcity and urban pollution, the need for scalable, impactful solutions has never been more critical.? Carbonless’ Hong Kong Green Tech Challenge (HKGTC) adopts an outcome-driven approach, pushing for? meaningful decarbonisation actions.

The programme is bolstered by the strong support of Strategic Partners like the Business Environment Council (BEC) in Hong Kong.? As an independent, charitable organisation founded by the local business community, BEC plays a crucial role in Hong Kong's decarbonisation efforts and the startup ecosystem, making its involvement extremely valuable to the HKGTC's impact and success. We spoke to Simon Ng , Chief Executive Officer of BEC, who shared with us how the organisation has been supporting the Challenge.

To begin, could you share a bit about BEC and your role within it? How does your work align with the goals of the Hong Kong Green Tech Challenge?

• As the Chief Executive Officer of BEC, I am honoured to be part of the inaugural HKGTC. BEC is an independent, non profit membership organisation that has been at the forefront of promoting environmental excellence in Hong Kong for over 30 years.?
• BEC’s work aligns very closely with the goals of the HKGTC, as we are dedicated to accelerating net zero action in the business sector by enabling businesses to adopt sustainable practices that reduce waste, conserve resources, and contribute to Hong Kong's transition to a net zero economy.?
• Through our policy advocacy, research, advisory services, events and training programmes, we empower the business community to lead the charge on environmental protection and climate action for a sustainable Hong Kong.

Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future of green tech innovation in Hong Kong and the broader Asia Pacific region? How can initiatives like this Challenge drive sustainable change?

• I am excited about the future of green tech innovation in Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific. As the region is facing pressing environmental challenges like climate change, resource scarcity, and urban pollution, the demand for scalable and impactful solutions has never been greater.
• Initiatives like the Hong Kong Green Tech Challenge will be instrumental in unlocking this potential. By fostering collaboration between industry leaders, academics and green tech startups, we can accelerate the development and deployment of transformative technologies. This, in turn, will help businesses across sectors to decarbonise their operations and contribute to the region’s transition to a sustainable, net zero economy.
• As a strategic partner of the initiative, BEC is looking forward to co-creating an ecosystem that nurtures green tech entrepreneurs and empowers them to scale their impact.

Read more here for the full interview.

Carbonless Research

Rapid decarbonisation in Asia is a must, but availability of high quality data and analysis of the related challenges and opportunities tends to be limited, especially in emerging markets - which restricts capital flows and technology deployment. Carbonless Research addresses these information gaps by creating customised research projects for policy makers, investors, corporates and more.

We develop analysis, tools, market scoping and policy briefings, incorporating unique insights from our work on decarbonisation across the Carbonless platform.? Contact us to learn more: [email protected]