[SDG Forum Series 2021-22] Save the polar bears … only? — Impacts of a Changing Cryosphere

SDG Forum Series 2021-22

Session 3

Save the polar bears … only? — Impacts of a Changing Cryosphere

Speakers: Prof. LIU Lin, Mr. Jan CHAN

Moderator: Dr. LI Ming, Kenneth (Lecturer, General Education Foundation Programme, Office of University General Education, CUHK)

Date：27 / 04 / 2022 (Wed)

Time：7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (GMT+8, HKT)

The talk will be conducted with ZOOM. Link will be provided later.

Seminar to be conducted in Cantonese and English

Brief Description

Undernourished polar bears being stranded on melting ice, staring out at sea, lamenting the loss of their habitat and food sources… Does the above description sound familiar to you? But is it the only picture you have when thinking about climate change?

In the past few decades, the cryosphere, which encompasses all the frozen places on our planet like glaciers, continental ice sheets, permafrost, snow and ice cover, has been melting at an unprecedented rate. What are the impacts of a melting cryosphere? Not only does it threaten the very existence of ice-dependent species, but it also has significant impacts on the food and water supply, human health and infrastructure, risk of floods and droughts, and many related aspects that affect our everyday life.

In this SDG Forum, Prof. LIU Lin will present the latest scientific findings on the changing cryosphere and how the melting in the polar and other ice-covered regions hinders the progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being). Mr. Jan CHAN will share his experience in leading the expedition to the polar regions and highlight the importance of providing alternative learning experiences for local students to foster their sense of responsibility to society and the environment.

About the Speakers

Prof. LIU Lin is an Associate Professor of Earth System Science at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. He obtained his Ph.D. in Geophysics from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2011. He was a George Thompson Postdoc Fellow at the Stanford University. His research applies a wide range of geodetic, geophysical, and remote sensing techniques to the cryospheric systems including permafrost, glaciers, and ice sheets, aiming to quantify and understand their changes in a warming climate. He received the 2021 John Wahr Early Career Award from the American Geophysical Union in recognizing his contribution to advancing cryosphere geophysics.

Mr. Jan Chan Ka-chun is the founder of “HK Discovery”. He is an expedition expert and an outdoor education instructor. He is an outdoor enthusiast who has left his footprints in the Arctic, Borneo, Taklimakan Desert and other regions. He has participated in a number of large-scale eco-tourism consultancy projects in Hong Kong and overseas. Jan cares deeply about the environment and the impacts of global warming, and he has been actively involved in projects promoting corporate social responsibility and addressing environmental issues.

Free admission, all are welcome.

Enquiry：sdg-ouge@cuhk.edu.hk

Online reservation：

https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13648629

Co-organized by Office of University General Education, CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong