The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report detailing the consequences of global warming above 1.5 degrees; word that Asia is on track to meet only one of the SDGs by 2030; and the fact that almost 30% of the global population still live without safe water are among the global challenges that concern ADMCF.
ADMCF initiative CWR, the TLFF partnership of which the ADM Capital Group is a founding member and new climate change platform “HK2050 is Now” in partnership with Civic Exchange and World Resources Institute, RS Group and Wyng Foundation, work towards solutions for aspects of each. We see our programmes as interrelated: Climate change impacts our freshwater, our ability to produce food, biodiversity in our forests, our oceans and their ability to produce fish for consumption.
We want to let you know what we are up to but hopefully also inspire you to take action in any way you can. Partnerships for impact are the way to make change and none of the work that needs to happen to make our planet a better place can be achieved alone. Thank you for your support!
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Climate Change finally on the agenda in Hong Kong
It was great to see thousands of youngsters taking to the streets on March 15th to urge the government to “not turn a blind eye” to their future. Inspired by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden, Hong Kong youth want a voice in policy decisions relative to climate change and more action.
Wildlife Crime in Focus
At China’s annual NPC session in March 2019, Hong Kong’s Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) proposed to ban the use of pangolin products in Traditional Chinese Medicine. This is an encouraging development for the world’s most trafficked mammal. In late January a record 8.3 tonnes in pangolin scales were seized by Hong Kong customs, equivalent to up to 15,000 pangolins.
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Our Programmes & Initiatives
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The IPCC report said that with just 12 years to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and limit global warming to 1.5°, we are “sleepwalking into catastrophe.” Currently heading for 3° to 5° of warming, we must materially reduce emissions of GhG.
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HK2050 is Now - Decarbonising Hong Kong by 2050
As a high-density coastal territory in the storm-prone Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong has good reason to work to address climate change, both via mitigation and adaptation. Over the years ADMCF has worked to tackle the tangibles in climate change: water scarcity and pollution, air pollution, land use change, for example, but we hadn’t developed a specific climate change programme. That has changed with a new initiative, “HK 2050 Is Now”, which aims to mobilise action to move Hong Kong through a transition towards long term carbon neutrality. The project kicked off in January with the first set of workshops to hear cross-sectoral voices.
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Our economy runs on water. China and India, the two most populous countries are water stressed and will only achieve water, food and energy security if a new paradigm of “business unusual” is forged.
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China's Two Sessions: Reform-Transform
China’s “Two Sessions” (两会, lianghui) of 2019 have wrapped up. In 2018, China achieved a growth rate of 6.6%. While this number is slightly better than expected, it still represents China’s slowest year of growth since 1990. This has been attributed to a series of challenges that emerged in 2018 including the trade war, government debts, over de-leverage and the lack of liquidity for non-state-owned enterprise (SOEs). Read more
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Five Trends for the Year of the Pig
Pigs in the Chinese horoscope are associated with wealth and a carefree life – they don’t need to work too hard, are lucky and see success in most areas. They are generous but somewhat lazy, indulging in the “good life”. CWR looks at what the Year of the Pig brings for Water. Read more
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Hong Kong is among the top ten importers of seafood by value globally, however about 90% of the seafood is imported and with few exceptions, not supplied from sustainable sources.
Plastics have plunged once pristine oceans into crisis: polluting seas; killing marine life; and coming back to impact our health as micro particles in the fish we eat.
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Establishing the Hong Kong Sustainable Seafood Coalition to Drive Sustainable Consumption
Following the launch of our sustainable seafood campaign website Choose Right Today, ADMCF and Teng Hoi established The Hong Kong Sustainable Seafood Coalition (HKSSC) to advance the sustainable seafood market in Hong Kong, by promoting responsible purchasing and consumption. This year, the Coalition has launched the first voluntary codes of conducts for responsible seafood sourcing in Hong Kong. Read more
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Drink without Waste
In December last year, the Single-Use Beverage Packaging Working Group, which ADMCF helps lead, released "Drink without Waste", which represents strategies and actions Hong Kong can undertake to reduce the single used beverage consumption. Read more
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Our landscapes programme has a strong focus in Indonesia, which is expected to be among the top 5 economies globally by 2030. With a population of 260 million people and consisting of 17,000 islands, it has significant natural resources. The high growth rate poses many challenges, both social and environmental. Land use change from forest to agriculture is a leading cause of deforestation and GhG emissions. We see ADMCF’s role here as promoting better business models in two areas: sustainable agriculture and low-carbon rural electrification.
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TLFF wins Climate Bonds Initiative's Green Bond Pioneer Award
The Tropical Landscape Finance Facility (TLFF) was launched in late 2016 as a partnership among the ADM Capital Group, BNP Paribas, UN Environment and ICRAF to promote low-carbon growth in Indonesia. The facility uses a blended finance approach to stimulate private sector finance for projects that bring a commercial return but also work against rural poverty and deforestation, among other objectives.
TLFF announced its first transaction last year, a US$ 95 million Sustainability Bond for climate smart, wildlife friendly rubber on degraded land in two provinces in Indonesia. For this first transaction, TLFF won a Climate Bonds Initiative 2019 Green Bond Pioneer Award. This award recognises international green financial leaders. Read more
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Catalytic Investment in Natural Rubber Company in Indonesia through TLFF
The &Green Fund, a blended finance impact fund focused on forest protection and tropical forest commodities, invested in sustainable, deforestation-free rubber in Indonesia via TLFF I. The project is set to deliver significant socioeconomic benefits, eventually creating an estimated 16,000 jobs at full scale. Read more
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Wildlife trafficking in Hong Kong continues to grow. Seizures by volume and value are increasing, yet these are only an indication of the illegal trade in wildlife (often for non-essential and luxury products) that is driving species towards extinction.
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Hong Kong, Crossroads of the Criminal Wildlife Trade
The January release of the Hong Kong Wildlife Trade Working Group report, ‘Trading in Extinction’ was extensively covered in international and local media. The Hong Kong government struggles to acknowledge its role in the trade, yet it is clear that wildlife crime needs to be treated as both serious and organised. Read Charles Homans take on Hong Kong’s wildlife trade in the New York Times, which highlighted the research, led by ADMCF. Read more
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1 out of every 29 children born in Cambodia will die before his or her fifth birthday - one of the highest child mortality rates in the region. Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) in Siem Reap, Cambodia provides high quality, compassionate care to Cambodia's children and in the process, works to transform healthcare in the country.
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Angkor Hospital for Children turns 20
Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) plays a critical in supporting the health not just of disadvantaged children who make it to the facility gates (over 1,5 million treatments in the past two decades), but also those who remain in their communities and benefit from rural health programmes. Finally, AHC works at a national level to support development of medical protocols for both doctors and nurses. ADMCF has been supporting AHC’s work since 2009. Read more
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Redress: Believe in the Positive Power of Fashion
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Redress Design Award, world's largest sustainable fashion design competition
Redress promotes environmental sustainability in Asia’s fashion industry by reducing textile waste, pollution, and water and energy consumption.
Redress has just opened their ninth cycle of The Redress Design Award. With a focus on emerging designers the search is now on to find the next big talent who has the ability to impress the judges and the commercial flair to inspire a new wave of conscious consumers. Read more
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None of our work could happen without your support
Thank You!
From the ADM Capital Foundation Team
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