As natural disasters become more frequent , the risk of crop failure will rise significantly and create huge food security challenges. To minimise the impact of extreme weather and increase productivity, advanced technologies for agricultural production are needed. Hi-tech agriculture has great economic potential, especially for Hong Kong. The city already has a highly developed research and development industry and is looking to transform into a knowledge-based economy. Hi-tech agriculture can help diversify Hong Kong’s economy and development. Hong Kong is a highly urbanised and commercialised city, and its residents’ lives often revolve around consumption. People have a distant relationship with nature and one another. Village life brings people back to tranquil nature and helps them forget the clamour and pretentiousness of urban life. It can also build a rural community network with more intimate connections. This can revitalise Hong Kong’s long-lost human spirit. The globalisation of the food chain means many countries are involved in food production, processing and procurement. As a result, food supplies are exposed to higher contamination risks. It is also hard for the government to monitor and track the origins of food safety issues. A local agricultural industry can provide much safer food and enable the government to monitor the production and processing of agricultural products more effectively. This can reduce the food safety risks of imports. At the same time, if Hong Kong continues to rely on imported food, it will face a mounting risk of food shortages. Low-income groups will be most affected by unstable or high food prices . Hong Kong needs to lower its risk of food shortages and stabilise food prices by rehabilitating all of its abandoned farmland and starting to develop urban agriculture . Agricultural development can defend Hong Kong against urban sprawl. It can also reduce air pollution and regulate microclimates. While Hong Kong has always relied on imported food, cross-border shipping and storage of food consume a substantial amount of energy and are environmentally destructive. Local agriculture can boost Hong Kong’s food supply and reduce the carbon footprint from shipping and storage. The city can thus play its part in helping slow global warming . Adrian Lam, Tai Koo Don’t let businesses hide behind ‘best practices’ When questioned, capitalist nations and corporate circles like to refer to so-called best business practices. But what is considered best by business decision-makers may not be in consumers’ best interests. It’s not hard to find examples. Facebook was recently accused of prioritising the expansion of its already huge profits over the health of its young users. For-profit care homes have been associated with higher rates of Covid-19 infections and deaths. Pharmaceutical companies pushing addictive painkillers have contributed to America’s opioid epidemic . In the West, this business mentality, and, by extension, society allow people’s well-being to be decided by corporate profit-margin measures. Our governments mostly dare not intervene, perhaps because they fear being labelled anti-business in our avidly capitalist culture. Sadly, maximising profits at the risk of consumers’ health or lives is likely to always be a significant part of the big business beast’s nature. But that does not mean that we should give in to it. Rather, when businesses make decisions that disappoint, they should serve as a wake-up call to society, and especially our elected leaders, that the economy and jobs should be there first and foremost to serve people rather than corporate profits. Frank Sterle Jnr, British Columbia, Canada US and China must collaborate to mount planetary defence I am writing in response to “Could a million small asteroids be on a collision course with Earth?”( September 27 ) . While we watch with awe the glitz and glamour of space tourism , our planet seems to be woefully undefended from the dangers of the sky. I am referring to the seeming unpreparedness to effectively track and defend against potential asteroid strikes on Earth. These have the capability to wipe out civilisation, just as the Chicxulub asteroid 66 million years ago is believed to have extinguished three-quarters of all plant and animal life at the time. Ever since the United States established its planetary defence system, the world has depended on Nasa to give early warning of potential asteroid hits. But neglect and underfunding has led to one of the major planetary radar projects in Nasa’s Near-Earth Object Observations Programme, the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, to fall into disrepair. The problem of detection and monitoring is further exacerbated because detection accuracy deteriorates for smaller, near-Earth objects. This was reinforced when a car-sized asteroid flew very close past Earth last year, and we realised only six hours after it passed the planet. An asteroid strike can be terrifying. Chelyabinsk’s residents can vouch for that, having survived a tiny proportion of a meteor explosion impact. Prince William says space race is not what planet needs right now It is important to be prepared to detect and defend. The Hollywood approach of blasting an incoming asteroid with nuclear weapons is counterproductive since larger fragments can still pass through Earth’s atmosphere and wreak havoc. Rather, deflection by kinetic impact – altering an incoming asteroid’s earthbound trajectory using projectile momentum – is more practical. Instead of unnecessary competition, it is pragmatic for major powers like China and the United States to collaborate. They must put up a strong planetary defence to protect Earth in the same way they have pledged to work together to combat the climate crisis. Avisekh Biswas, Tung Chung Dubai Expo next to face pandemic challenge The Tokyo Olympics Games highlighted the difficulty of organising a mega-event during a pandemic. The challenge now falls to the organisers of the Expo 2020 Dubai , which was also delayed for a year and just opened for an expected run until March next year. With its theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, the expo is expected to draw an estimated 25 million visitors, with 70 per cent of them coming from outside the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is pulling out all the stops to ensure locals visit the expo, offering free tickets to students and six days of paid leave to federal government employees. Safety measures are also in place. Unvaccinated visitors, for example, can take a free PCR test on site. Reports said more than 411,000 ticketed guests visited the expo in the first 10 days, but it is uncertain whether it can attract 17 million or so foreigners who are willing to take on the risks and inconvenience of travel in a time of Covid-19. Since Dubai won the hosting rights to the World Expo in 2013, it has invested heavily in its transport, utilities and other infrastructure. Can Dubai rely on the expected millions of domestic and local visitors to break even? Meanwhile, the virtual expo is freely available online and has recorded 5 million views in the first 10 days. The opening ceremony alone attracted 3 million views. Under this new normal, with the advancement of technology and user experience design, will the Dubai Expo succeed despite the pandemic challenge? We will know by next year whether the first World Expo in the Middle East will live up to the expectations of visitors. Ross Cheung, Singapore Plant-based meat not a panacea I am responding to the letter, “Why Hong Kong’s public health officials should endorse plant-based meat” ( October 12 ) by Samantha Archer and Simon Wang. I partially agree with their argument in favour of plant-based meat. Antibiotic resistance is a problem across the world, and eating less meat would help combat its spread. Further, given the meat industry’s impact on the environment, eating less meat would also help us reach the goal of carbon neutrality . However, plant-based meat, which uses ingredients such as soybeans, beans and potato starch, might not be a good substitute as it lacks the nutrients that meat is rich in, such as vitamin B12 and zinc. As processed food, plant-based meat might also contain high levels of sodium and saturated fat, which are bad for health. Thus, I think plant-based meat cannot fully replace real meat. Plant-based meat can be one of many options. Kristy Lu, Tseung Kwan O