https://www.scmp.com/rss/321742/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The time of celebration and the time of waste is once again near. Families are rushing to make last-minute purchases for the Lunar New Year. Last time around, Hong Kong’s flower markets threw away 23 per cent more waste than the previous year. More than 16,000 trees were cut down to make 320 million red packets – most of which ended up not being used. Tubs full of unsold goldfish were left to rot in gutters after the festival. There are many things to comment on, but let’s look at the popular... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2065274/go-green-enhance-good-fortune-year-rooster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2065274/go-green-enhance-good-fortune-year-rooster?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jan 2017 02:38:53 +0000 In 1972, global think tank the Club of Rome published The Limits to Growth, predicting global collapse during the 21st century if population and consumption continued to grow exponentially. Though the forecast was criticised by economists and academics, the premise still rings true: our mode of consumption is not sustainable. The linear economic model encourages us to extract, produce, consume and dispose of as quickly as possible. As the environmental cost of extraction is never fully accounted... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2051763/only-circular-economy-can-save-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2051763/only-circular-economy-can-save-world?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Dec 2016 07:18:47 +0000 Does food have an important place in Hong Kong society? October 16 is World Food Day, celebrating the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. Although the theme this year focuses on climate change, the core concept still revolves around the importance of food. When we are happy, we eat. When we are sad, we also eat. To some, eating is a form of entertainment. How many of us follow TV series, channels or blogs dedicated to showing off “food porn” and interesting dishes? There is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2027769/hong-kongs-food-waste-levels-are-hard-stomach-when-billion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2027769/hong-kongs-food-waste-levels-are-hard-stomach-when-billion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Oct 2016 04:07:18 +0000 Earlier this year, France became the first country in the world to ban food waste from supermarkets. And, this month, Italy adopted a new law to prevent one million tonnes of food from being wasted every year by encouraging supermarkets and farmers to donate food. Although the two countries employed widely different approaches, both have the same goals – to help the needy and stop food waste. How other countries handle food sustainability: lessons for Hong Kong in RTHK series It makes sense.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2007803/why-arent-we-encouraging-food-donations-hong-kong-when-our?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2007803/why-arent-we-encouraging-food-donations-hong-kong-when-our?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Aug 2016 05:43:35 +0000 Today, we spend less of our income on clothes, yet we are able to buy much more than before. Immediate gratification is made possible with more disposable income and credit availability. Fast fashion encourages a rapid turnover and high disposability. This is why the global fashion industry is worth US$3 trillion – or 2 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product in 2015 – but at what cost? Many may already know about the carbon emissions, water consumption and waste that are created during... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1991822/our-wasteful-clothing-habits-should-go-out-style?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1991822/our-wasteful-clothing-habits-should-go-out-style?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jul 2016 09:00:04 +0000 Can we really not live without rubbish bins? To align with the inevitable waste charging scheme, Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has announced the move to introduce new bins with smaller openings and also reduce their number on the streets. Aside from criticism about the new design, some people think Hongkongers will be more inclined to litter with fewer bins around. Vanishing rubbish bins and rotten attitudes: Hong Kong’s struggle to stay clean I am baffled by this logic.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1978081/how-fewer-rubbish-bins-can-help-reduce-waste-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1978081/how-fewer-rubbish-bins-can-help-reduce-waste-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jun 2016 09:27:09 +0000 One of the aims of the new Innovation and Technology Bureau is to help turn Hong Kong into the leading smart city in the region. While this aim is welcome, the government must also remember that a smart city is made up of more than just technology. A sustainable city, digital city, eco-city, green city, liveable city and knowledge city are all forms of smart cities, but they are also very different from one another. A smart city should contain elements of a smart economy, and consider mobility,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1892299/technology-alone-wont-turn-hong-kong-smart-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1892299/technology-alone-wont-turn-hong-kong-smart-city?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Dec 2015 03:53:43 +0000 This week, delegates representing countries from all over the world will convene in Paris to decide whether we will head towards a low-carbon future. The goal is to reach a legally binding pact to limit warming to below 2 degrees Celsius. READ MORE: A climate for change: how China went from zero to hero in fight against global warming in just 6 years Countries in a position to do so have submitted their emission reduction targets to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. As of writing,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1884247/global-fight-slow-climate-change-hong-kong-proving-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1884247/global-fight-slow-climate-change-hong-kong-proving-be?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Nov 2015 18:31:05 +0000