地球之友 Friends of the Earth

Is deep-sea mining promise or peril?

2025-06-13

World leaders and scientists gathered at the UN Oceans Conference in Nice, France last week with the hopes of convincing more countries to ratify the High Seas Treaty and enable it to come into effect. The treaty will give countries a legal framework to establish protected marine areas in international waters—or the high seas.

Rice becoming more toxic under climate change

2025-06-06

Can you go a day without eating rice? Rice is one of the most important staples and the lifeblood for more than half of the world’s population. Hong Kong is no exception, consuming around 300,000 tonnes of rice each year. Now, rice is at the centre of a new climate worry.

World Environment Day 2025: Beat Plastic Pollution

2025-05-30

June 5 is World Environment Day. This year, it joins hands with the UNEP-led campaign #BeatPlasticPollution to put an end to plastic pollution. It is not hard to guess why though. 19-23 million tonnes of plastics waste escape into lakes, rivers, and seas every year, devastating even the most pristine environments.

Sustainable cooling with 'elephant skin' and fungi?

2025-05-23

Summers are getting longer and hotter thanks to climate change. While air conditioning may bring welcome relief, it also exacerbates the problem in cities by dumping waste heat into the outdoor environment and fueling the climate crisis—as almost three-quarters of electricity in Hong Kong comes from fossil fuels. According to data from the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department almost 30% of electricity in Hong Kong goes towards air conditioning. It is the largest use of electricity, tripling that of lighting or cooking demands. Finding ways to keep us cool while cutting down on energy consumption becomes ever more critical. It turns out that elephants and fungi may have a sustainable solution to our conundrum.

Protect Luk Keng Marsh, stop unauthorised developments

2025-05-16

Friends of the Earth (HK) expresses great concern over the recent large-scale illegal filling at Luk Keng Marsh. Luk Keng Marsh is one of the 12 priority sites identified by the government for enhanced conservation; it is home to the scarlet dwarf—the smallest dragonfly in the world—and has extremely high ecological value. The area however has recently been hit by unauthorised filling activities and illegal occupation of government land spanning across one hectare. This incident revealed flaws in the current regulations and conservation policies, creating a serious threat to the wetland ecosystem.

Heatflation Intensifies the Rise in Global Food Prices

2025-05-09

Against the backdrop of worsening global climate change, "heatflation"—a term coined in 2022—has emerged as a major threat. According to a recent study, global food prices are expected to rise annually by 0.9% to 3% over the next decade, posing new challenges for economies worldwide.

Debunking the Myth of Green Hero: Aligning Individual Actions with Policies

2025-05-02

Turn off the lights, take short showers, and separate your waste—these are some of the actions you may often hear about as ways we, as individuals, can do to save the Earth. There are also popular tools like ecological footprint calculators that measure the environmental impact of our daily choices and guide us to be greener citizens.

Green Capital, Global Connect – Shaping Hong Kong as a Sustainable Finance Hub

2025-04-25

On 22 April 2025, Friends of the Earth (HK) (FoE (HK)), the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) and the China Sustainable Investment Forum (China SIF) joined forces to host the Earth Forum 2025, an annual event focused on accelerating transition finance for a sustainable future.

Lessons from Singapore to reduce packaging waste

2025-04-18

Like many urban centers, Hong Kong faces significant challenges in managing packaging waste. With its high population density and reliance on imported goods, the city generates a substantial volume of packaging waste, much of which ends up in landfills.

Climate Risk Index 2025: A Wake-Up Call for Hong Kong and the World

2025-04-11

Germanwatch, a German environmental think tank, released the "Climate Risk Index 2025" on February 12, 2025. This report, one of the longest-running annual climate impact-related indices, reveals the severe situation of global climate change. The report shows that over the past thirty years (1993-2022), there have been more than 9,400 extreme weather events worldwide, resulting in over 765,000 deaths and causing approximately US$4.2 trillion (inflation-adjusted) in direct economic losses. The report particularly highlights the serious threats faced by developing countries and coastal regions, including Asian coastal city clusters such as Hong Kong.

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