My visit to the Jockey Club Climate Change Museum.

The Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change at the Chinese University in Hong Kong. 

Recently, I went to the Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change located at the Chinese University in Hong Kong, the first museum of its kind in Hong Kong and possibly the world.

This blog will be split into 2 parts

1. Museum Tour

2. My Takeaways  

The Entrance

The Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change is a climate change museum “funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, established in December 2013 at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Is the world's first museum, offering an interactive, multimedia exhibition that showcases valuable collections and information about climate change.” https://www.mocc.cuhk.edu.hk/en-gb/about-us It has different exhibitions and interactive elements like simulations, photo booths, games, and more. These interactive elements teach visitors more about research done in the Arctic, SDG Goals, and what climate change would look like under certain facets. Additionally, another major topic is the 3 R’s, Refusing, Reducing and Recycling. These apply to “Refusing” to make unnecessary purchases, “Reducing” waste at source, and “Recycling to reuse waste and turn it into useful items. By “Reusing” “Repairing” and “Recycling” whenever possible the world can turn into a cleaner and more waste-friendly place.

The 2 pictures below show the different specimens from Arctic research done on the Xue Long and Xue Long 2 icebreaker research boats that were commissioned to do research in the Arctic. 

Model of the Xue Long icebreaker research boat.

Informational posters about the impact of climate change on the Arctic.

These 2 graphs show the change in Global Surface Temperature over the past few years. It’s clear human influence that contributes to a large portion of the earth’s temperature increase!

A picture taken of me and a part of the museum that teaches more about solar panels and the development happening in Hong Kong that will make it easier to produce energy. This development is the use of chemicals such as titanium dioxide and cadmium dioxide powder.

One of the games that teach how to perform the 3 R's responsibly.

Simulations that show what would happen if we contain global warming under a certain temperature.

Information on how climate change could affect sea levels, heat, and precipitation and destroy our climate through a photo booth.

My takeaways from this trip : 

• It is everyone’s responsibility to prevent the worsening of global warming. If we do not act fast and keep the temperature rise under 1.5℃ or 34.7℉, the consequences that come with climate change could be deadly.

• Using renewable energy is one of the effective ways to combat climate change. In the past, solar panels could only produce energy from visible light which takes up about 42.3% of the sun’s energy that reaches the earth. On the other hand, infrared rays take up 49.4% of the sun’s energy, which makes it to Earth (source).  Thanks to technological advancement, new materials like a mix of Titanium Dioxide powder and Cadmium sulfide powder could make solar energy production much more efficient by producing energy from “invisible” infrared rays in the sunlight. 

During my research on the efforts of how Hong Kong promotes the “3 R’s”, I noticed the “Link Sustainability Lab” (https://www.linkreit.com/en/sustainability/sustainability-lab/) which aims to inspire everyone to make sustainability accessible, actionable and achievable. I will provide updates in my next blog! 

More about the Jockey Club Climate Change Museum. 

The origins of the Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change can be linked to explorer Rebecca Lee, who began focusing on climate-related issues in the 1980s. In 1987, as part of a team from the State Oceanic Administration of the People's Republic of China on an expedition to the South Pole, she conceived the idea of creating a polar museum in Hong Kong. Her objective was to raise awareness among the citizens of Hong Kong about the seriousness of climate issues and to motivate young individuals to engage in research within the natural sciences. In 1991, after encountering a dangerous situation in Antarctica, Lee recognized the urgent need for action and realized that founding a museum was essential for compiling information for future generations. She established the Polar Museum Fund in 1997 and took on the position of its director. Lee considered a range of potential locations for the museum, including industrial buildings, small structures in the New Territories, and educational institutions, but her attempts were unsuccessful, leading her to think about giving up on the project.

During a speech at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in 2010, the university's president, Joseph Sung, learned about her initiative and elected to offer his support. Sung managed to secure funding from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for the museum's creation, and the 8th floor of the Yasumoto International Academic Park building at CUHK was chosen as its site. The museum spanned approximately 800 m² (8,600 sq ft) and was built using sustainable construction practices, incorporating natural light, sun shading, heat insulation systems, and energy-efficient features. The joint program, referred to as the Jockey Club Earth Resources Centre, was officially launched on June 1, 2012, and the museum opened to the public on December 16, 2013, under the title "Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change," reflecting the backing of its main sponsor.

At the museum's opening ceremony, Lee articulated that it could promote climate conservation and develop new scientific talent. Sung expressed his aspiration that the museum would provide the public with knowledge about climate change and foster sustainable development in Hong Kong. Christine Loh, who was the Undersecretary for the Environment in the Hong Kong Government at that time, believed that the Environmental Protection Department and the university could strengthen their cooperation through the museum to enhance environmental protection initiatives in Hong Kong. After the conclusion of the "Jockey Club Earth Resources Centre" collaborative program in 2016, the Jockey Club allocated additional funding in 2017 for a three-year project known as the "Jockey Club–CUHK Climate Action" plan to aid the museum's operations and growth.