15 Aug 2024
Towngas Biodiversity and New Energies Symposium draws over 5,000 online and offline participants, with commemorative stamp pack released to promote biodiversity protection
(15 August 2024) The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) and Towngas Smart Energy Company Limited (Towngas Smart Energy), in collaboration with the Hong Kong Management Association, held the Biodiversity and New Energies Symposium today, on National Ecology Day. Mr Patrick Lai Chuen-chi, Deputy Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, attended as the officiating guest. More than 20 representatives from the business sector, public utilities, conservation organisations, and academia participated in the Symposium, discussing hydrogen industry development, green transformation in the transport sector through new energies, enhanced corporate disclosure of nature-related financial information, and balancing development with ecological conservation. Over 5,000 people attended the full-day Symposium in person or via live streaming, including representatives from foreign consulates and trade organisations, reflecting the global focus on new energy and biodiversity topics. At the Symposium, Towngas also announced the release of a biodiversity commemorative stamp pack featuring photographs of unique ecological environments across Greater China, aiming to raise public awareness of ecological conservation.
Mr Peter Wong Wai-yee, Managing Director of Towngas, stated, “Energy affects all sectors of society, and green, low-carbon energy is undoubtedly the driving force for sustainable development. It also holds immense business potential, as governments worldwide are targeting carbon reduction and neutrality, making the green energy market truly global. Towngas is actively expanding its new energy business, including green methanol, hydrogen energy, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for sea, land, and air transport respectively, aligning with the HKSAR Government’s initiative to promote the new energy transport industry, as outlined in last year’s Policy Address.”
Mr Wong added that as an energy company, Towngas aims to play a pioneering role in protecting biodiversity. He mentioned that the company held the ESG Symposium two years ago and published the
Climate-related and Nature-related Directive Guide. This year’s Symposium focuses on exploring biodiversity topics, encouraging enterprises and organisations to implement green development practices.
Mr Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology, delivered online remarks, stating that the Symposium’s topics of ecological conservation and new energy development are not only closely related but also of great interest to various sectors of society. He expressed pleasure in seeing the industry organising such large-scale events, helping to build bridges between the Government, industry, academia and research sectors to connect experts from these areas while enhancing public education, thus contributing to Hong Kong’s energy transition.
In his speech, Mr Patrick Lai Chuen-chi, Deputy Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation and guest of honour at the Symposium, expressed his pleasure at seeing more and more enterprises actively deepening their environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts, and incorporating biodiversity conservation considerations into their operations. He noted that Towngas had mentioned in its Environmental Policy its commitment to reducing impacts on biodiversity, and that the Company was also raising public awareness of biodiversity through various activities. He added that society needs more cross-sector collaboration to accelerate the pace of green transformation.
Ms Titania Woo Chi-kwan, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Management Association, said that many companies had expressed their intention to use renewable energy to promote environmental protection, and many had also stated they would monitor and manage their impact on biodiversity. She noted that this reflects that environmental protection has become a focus for businesses, with companies implementing practical measures to advance environmental efforts.
To commemorate National Ecology Day and the Symposium, Towngas announced the release of a commemorative stamp pack to raise public awareness of biodiversity. The stamps feature photographs selected from the winning entries of a previous wildlife photo contest organised by the Company, all taken in the Greater China region, reflecting the region’s rich biodiversity. The commemorative pack also highlights Towngas’s carbon reduction progress, underscoring the company’s determination to transform from a traditional public utility to an integrated clean energy supplier.
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Press photos:
Photo 1:
Mr Patrick Lai Chuen-chi (2nd from left), Deputy Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation; Mr Peter Wong Wai-yee (2nd from right), Managing Director of Towngas, Ms Titania Woo Chi-kwan (1st from right), Executive Director of the Hong Kong Management Association; and Professor Christine Loh Kung-wai, Independent Non-executive Director of Towngas Smart Energy, Chief Development Strategist of the Institute for the Environment at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Chairperson of the Hong Kong Biodiversity Expert Group, officiate at the opening ceremony of the Biodiversity and New Energies Symposium.
Photo 2:
Mr Peter Wong Wai-yee, Managing Director of Towngas, delivers a welcome speech.
Photo 3:
Mr Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology, delivers online remarks.
Photo 4:
Mr Patrick Lai Chuen-chi, Deputy Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, gives a speech.
Photo 5:
Ms Titania Woo Chi-kwan, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Management Association, delivers a speech.
Photo 6:
The Towngas Biodiversity and New Energies Symposium attracts over 5,000 online and offline participants.
Photo 7:
Towngas releases a set of 12 commemorative stamps on National Ecology Day to encourage public interest in ecological conservation.
For media enquiries, please contact:
The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
Ms Carmen Wong
Assistant Corporate Communications and ESG Manager
Tel: 2963 3416 / 6159 2614
Fax: 2516 7368
Email: wong.carmen@towngas.com |
Mr Tommy Wong
Senior Corporate Communications and ESG Officer
Tel: 2963 3407 / 6695 8372
Fax: 2516 7368
Email: tommy.wong@towngas.com |