HKUST Public Policy Bulletin Issue No.5

The Role Science Plays in Reducing Policy Uncertainties:

Collaborative Governance for Shipping Emissions Control in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area

 

Jeffrey Chow, Xun Wu  and CoCo Du

 

 

Before the implementation of shipping emissions control, Hong Kong produced the second-highest shipping pollutant emissions levels among cities worldwide. Exhaust emissions from ocean-going vessels (OGVs) near ground level within a few kilometers of densely populated residential areas were devastating to ambient air quality and public health. Effective policy tackling shipping emissions requires collaboration among various stakeholders across the private sector, the public sector, and multiple government agencies. Lacking precise information about the various aspects of shipping emissions pollutants, however, can generate uncertainties that substantially undermine incentives for taking collaborative action.

     

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    Authors

     

    Jeffrey Chow is Postdoctoral Fellow in the Institute for Emerging Market Studies and the Division of Public Policy at HKUST. He holds a PhD from Yale University, and Master of Environmental Management and Master of Forestry from Duke University. His research focuses on land economics and policy, and the role of natural capital in climate change adaptation. His peer-reviewed publications have appeared in Science, PLOS One, Land Economics, the Journal of Sustainable Forestry, Forest Policy and Economics, the Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, and elsewhere.

     

     

     

    Xun Wu is Professor at the Innovation, Policy and Entrepreneurship Thrust at the Society Hub of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (GZ). His research fields include water resource management, health policy, anti-corruption, policy design and innovations, and technology policy. His articles have been published in leading journals such as Policy Sciences, Public Administration Review, Social Sciences & Medicine, and Water Resources Research. He has been awarded numerous research grants from national and municipal governments. In addition, he has been a consultant for various IGOs, such as the World Bank and the International Vaccine Institute.

     

     

     

    Coco Du is Research Assistant Professor in the Innovation, Policy and Entrepreneurship Thrust Area, Society Hub, HKUST (Guangzhou). She received her PhD in Environmental Science, Policy and Management from HKUST (Clear Water Bay). Her research centers on environmental policy, green finance, and regional innovation. Moreover, she actively applies her research methodology to address real-life policy issues. Her papers have appeared in prominent journals such as the Chinese Journal of Population Resources and Environment, the Journal of Chinese Governance, and the Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning.

     

    Further reading

    Chow, J., Du, C. D., & Wu, X. (2022). Uncertainty and collaborative governance: the role of science in combating shipping air pollution in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, China. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 1-13. Data & Policy, 3: e29.