Climate response needs societal transformation from China and Hong Kong, and more updates

For PropertyGuru’s news roundup, China and Hong Kong need societal transformation in order to address climate change. In other headlines, Thailand’s Ministry of Labour has launched training for engineers and technicians to strengthen The Kingdom’s position as an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing hub. Lastly, Vietnam has approved the national programme for the conservation of endangered, precious, and rare wildlife species prioritised for protection.
Adapting to the climate crisis will require societal transformation, not least in China and Hong Kong
Globally, 2024 was the warmest year ever recorded – and the warmest year in at least 125,000 years – in the warmest decade on record. Last year was also the warmest year ever recorded in China and, not surprisingly, also the warmest year on record in Hong Kong, as reported by HKFP. Despite increasing concern about climate change around the world, global CO2 emissions are still increasing. China is the source of one-third of those emissions, setting records in its use of coal despite a sluggish economy. Hong Kong is also wedded to fossil fuels. Although there’s an increasing use of natural gas, it comes as little comfort when new research shows that imported liquified natural gas produces much more CO2 pollution than coal. Put simply, China and Hong Kong, like the rest of the world, are still going in the wrong direction.
Skills push for the Thai EV industry begins
The Ministry of Labour has launched training for over 2,000 engineers and technicians to strengthen Thailand’s position as an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing hub. The programme is being run by the ministry’s Department of Skill Development (DSD), in response to the high demand for skilled workers in the EV industry, said Decha Pruekphathanarak, the department’s director-general. He said in Bangkok Post that Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn asked the department to help upskill and reskill workers to equip them with skills that align with modern technology. The training is being carried out in cooperation with academic institutions.
Vietnam’s national programme for endangered wildlife species conservation approved
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has approved the national programme for the conservation of endangered, precious, and rare wildlife species prioritised for protection by 2030, with a vision of 2050, VietnamPlus reports. The programme aims to conserve and restore at least three species in captivity and reintroduce them back into the wild by 2030. It also aims to increase the number of species bred in captivity for conservation and reintroduced into the wild to restore populations. This aligns with Vietnam’s biodiversity strategy by 2030, with a vision of 2050, contributing to socio-economic development oriented towards a green economy and proactive climate change adaptation.
The Property Report editors wrote this article. For more information, email: [email protected].
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