Prof. Christine LOH, Chief Development Strategist of the Division of Environment and Sustainability (ENVR), will be one of the speakers in the Chinachem Group Sustainability Conference 2023

A study conducted by research teams from HKUST and CityU in collaboration with Greenpeace has found that compared to disposable paper cups and recycled plastic cups, each reusable cup can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 25%, water resources by 37%, and human toxicities by 34%. Dr. Meike SAUERWEIN, Lecturer of Division of Environment and Sustainability (ENVR), said that the majority of the environmental impact caused by disposable cups originates from the production stage, while reusable cups come from processes such as cleaning, transportation, and packaging, including the electricity used during the cleaning process, adding that the more people use reusable cups, the more environmental resources can be saved on average per cup.

In an article by Prof. Jingwei Alex HE, Associate Professor of the Division of Public Policy (PPOL) and Acting Director of the Institute for Public Policy (IPP), he discussed the establishment of a university town in the Northern Metropolis, in which he said the university town development plan must recognize the peculiarities of Hong Kong’s university sector and the broad ecology of innovation and technology.

In an article on the HK ESG Reporting Awards (HERA), it was mentioned that Prof. Masaru YARIME, Associate Professor of the Division of Public Policy (PPOL), will be one of the judges supervising HERA's corporate performance evaluation process.

At the pre-COP28 “Race to Transition” event series kicked off by Arup, Prof. Christine LOH, Chief Development Strategist of the Division of Environment and Sustainability (ENVR), joined the panel session of the forum with other industry leaders to share their insights on driving climate action across Asia and scaling up corporate sustainability efforts.

In an article on China's attempt to expand its agricultural trade with Afghanistan, Prof. Naubahar SHARIF, Acting Head and Professor of the Division of Public Policy (PPOL), said that a boost in trade might eventually facilitate Chinese infrastructure projects such as pipelines for oil and natural gas, adding that Afghanistan could fit well into China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

In an article by Prof. Erwin HUANG, Adjunct Professor of the Division of Integrative System and Design (ISD), he discussed the use of AI system Bard for trip planning, highlighting its benefits and limitations.

A feature interview with Provost Prof. GUO Yike and Prof. Jimmy FUNG, Associate Provost (Teaching & Learning) and Chair Professor of the Division of Environment and Sustainability (ENVR), on how Generative AI could facilitate students' knowledge acquisition, improve their critical thinking, enhance their ability to ask questions, as well as how HKUST embraces this technology.

Meanwhile, Nicholas YEUNG, a Year 5 student of Dual Degree Program in Technology & Management (T&M-DDP), said that GenAI could save time in data searching and improve work efficiency, as long as one approaches it with a cautious attitude and possesses the relevant skills and techniques.

In an article discussing if the measures announced in Policy Address could boost the birth rate, Prof. Stuart GIETEL-BASTEN, Professor of the Division of Public Policy (PPOL), explained why Hong Kong has a low birth rate and the underlying issues behind the decline in birth rates, and how governments could address them.

In an article by Prof. Erwin HUANG, Adjunct Professor of the Division of Integrative System and Design (ISD), he compared Bard and ChatGPT, two popular AI models. Bard excels in searching real-time information and generating code, while ChatGPT is better at creative writing and summarizing articles. The choice depends on specific user needs.