Science Fiction and Climate Change

The science fiction (SF) genre is currently experiencing an increasing level of public attention, which is mainly focused on climate and environmental issues. Many of these stories represent a socio-political projection screen and not only reflect different cultural perceptions of climate change, but are also able to explain real political positions. For international climate and environmental policy, this trend could be an indication that there is a need to focus more strongly on questions of climate policy storytelling and remain closely linked to the presentation of the future and possible innovations in order to counteract the growing political polarization in this field.

Sustainable Energy and Digitalisation: Practices and Perspectives in Asia-Pacific

Sustainable Energy and Digitalisation: Practices and Perspectives in Asia-Pacific is a comprehensive study which provides an overview of the energy sector and digitalisation in Asia–Pacific. The research highlights the megatrends affecting energy industry and energy transition policy with a focus on disrupting technologies.

Mr. Phung Vu Hiep - Tom Phillips is telling us about his experience as KAS scholarship holder

Tom is currently studying his LLM in Energy and Environmental Law and we have prepared a set of three questions in order to explore how he is experiencing KAS Scholarship, he is a good example of enthusiasm and commitment within his studies.

Tracking Hong Kong's Performance in Climate Change

Cities and Paris Climate Agreement

The report finds "Hong Kong faces its own share of threats from climate change, yet it is far from achieving its responsibility towards the Paris Climate Agreement goals."

Abholzung - Zustand der Wälder

Wie groß ist der Einfluss von Wäldern auf unser Klima und welche Maßnahmen werden ergriffen, um diese zu schützen? Das Roden von Wäldern verursacht mittlerweile mehr CO2-Emissionen als Indien oder die Europäische Union, dabei sind Wälder die kostengünstigste und effektivste Variante, um CO2 aus der Atmosphäre zu binden. Dieses Paper analysiert die weltweiten "Abholzungs-Hotspots", geht auf die Ursachen und Auswirkungen ein, und gibt einen Überblick, welche Schutzmaßnahmen ergriffen werden.

Singapore Carbon Taxes

An Analysis of the Policy Context

This research paper by KAS RECAP consultant, Dr. Maria Francesch, introduces Singapore's energy policy and provides an in-depth analysis on the implementation of the carbon taxation policy.

Wasserstoff - Energieträger der Zukunft?

Wie wird die Energieversorgung der Zukunft aussehen? Welche Art von Energieträgern werden dabei helfen die Klimaziele von Paris zu erreichen? Dieses Paper beschäftigt sich mit der Entwicklung der Wasserstofftechnologie weltweit, und speziell im asiatischen Raum. Es wird auf die Herausforderungen und Fortschritte im Bereich des Wasserstoffs eingegangen, während verschiedene Länder exemplarisch analysiert werden.

Climate Resilience in the Greater Bay Area of China

Role of Technological Innovation

In March in Singapore, the drivers and barriers for digitization of different sectors were discussed. Dr. Francesch discussed technological innovation for flood control.

Governing the Green Climate Fund

Analysis on Climate Finance

This paper discusses the complexities facing policy instruments such as the GCF that have to reconcile complex global norms with fairly simple but pressing local climate mitigation needs. The paper shows that stakeholders who participate in the GFC structured dialogues and civil society organizations advocating wealth redistribution find ways to provide bottom-up input to the top-down instruments created by the UN such as the GCF improving its governance. The analysis concludes that the continuous interaction between global and local players not only improves the governance of the GCF itself but also its adeptness to the actual climate resilience needs of developing nations.

Climate Change Mitigation in Hong Kong’s Electricity Sector

Analysis on Local Climate and Energy Policy

As part of China, Hong Kong is obligated to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to meet the Paris Agreement's goals. This paper offers a critical review on the city's climate and energy measures, in particular the role of power plant operation in supply-side changes, namely the shift in the energy mix, demand reduction, and solar PV installation.