When I first told my family I wanted to go to Hong Kong for my university exchange, the first thing they asked was: Isn’t that a really long flight? They’re right, I’ll have to fly roughly 6000 miles to get there, a journey which produces an estimated 2 tonnes of CO₂ per passenger (www.myclimate.org).
The flight is the largest environmental cost of my exchange and so; to address this, I have already registered with Gold Standard-certified carbon offsetting organisation Atmosfair (www.atmosfair.de). This charity allows me to contribute toward renewable energy projects in Asia. I specifically chose a scheme investing in the same region I am travelling to, making the environmental contribution geographically meaningful. I will also book a direct flight, as stopovers increase emissions by up to 30% due to the carbon intensity of additional take-off and landing cycles.
Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world yet over 40% of its land area is protected country park. I am excited to explore these natural areas such as Victoria peak and Lantau Island. Another environmental strength of Hong Kong is that it ranks 1st in the world for public transport with over 90% of daily journeys using these systems (www.weforum.org). By using apps such as Citymapper (www.citymapper.com) and MTR Mobile (www.mtr.com.hk), I can lower the carbon impact of my journeys by using public transport instead of taxis. These transport systems support SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and contribute to Hong Kong’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050 in line with SDG 13 (Combat Climate).
However, a key environmental issue in Hong Kong is that only about 17% of the 2000 tonnes of plastics produced everyday are recycled (www.earth.org). This clashes with SDG 12 (Sustainable Consumption) as hundreds of thousands of tonnes of plastic end up in landfills every year. To mitigate my own contribution to this issue I intend to avoid buying products that use single-use plastic packaging, as I already do in the UK, and make full use of the university recycling schemes.
Sustainability is not just something I want to practise while abroad, but something I want to carry into every aspect of my future life and career. By making conscious choices throughout my exchange in Hong Kong, from how I travel to how I consume, I hope to prove that international study and environmental responsibility can coexist. Most importantly, I want my experience to encourage other students to think differently about their own impact, showing that even small individual decisions can contribute to a more sustainable global future. To achieve this, I will present my experiences to aspiring exchange students when I return to university in my final year so that they can act eco-consciously on their own exchanges.
