Business and technology are powerful forces which have shaped – and continue to reshape – each other and the world in which we live. This series of five workshops brings together business leaders, technologists, and academics to consider, from a Christian perspective, the systemic issues facing business in light of technological advances, and the challenges and opportunities arising from these.

This third session will consider a common reaction against the negative impact of consumerism. Conservation, zero emissions, circular economies, “leave no trace” all aim at the same thing: zero impact. How can we go beyond this to realise the richness of the positive impact implicit in a biblical view of humanity’s role in cultivating the world?

“Zero impact” frames the situation as saying that any impact humans have is bad. In such a case, we might as well not be here. Indeed, if we just wanted to ensure humans had zero impact on the environment, the easiest and fastest solution is quietly dispose of 7 billion people. That conclusion should raise a red flag. At very least, a biblical perspective requires that we view a world with humans as better than a world without them. Given humanity’s biblical mandate to tend, curate, and cultivate the world, we should be aiming to have an impact on the world, and making sure it is a good one. As such, while it is good that the mindset of “zero impact” questions consumerism, it replaces it with a view of humanity and our role on earth that is deeply at odds with a Christian view of man, and which needs to be rethought.

About the speakers

HO Kin-Chung started his working life in the Environmental Protection Department of the Hong Kong Government in the Water Policy Group, during which time he studied for his PhD with the University of Hong Kong, researching the significance of red tides in subtropical waters, and in Hong Kong specifically. He subsequently joined the Open Learning Institute as Program Leader in Environmental Studies, and was involved in the process of re-accrediting the institution as The Open University of Hong Kong (OHHK). He was promoted to professor in Environmental Studies in 2002, and appointed Dean of the School of Science and Technology at OUHK in 2008. His academic interests include marine ecology, water quality, environmental policies, environmental ethics, and environmental education, including school and public engagement. He is a Council Member of the Hong Kong Climate Change Forum and the Hong Kong Green Council, Honorary President of Green Power, and President of the Macau Green Environmental Protection Association.

MAK CHEN Wen Ning started her career as a teacher at Queen Elizabeth School. She went on to lecture at Grantham College of Education, ultimately becoming Vice Principle of Northcote College of Education until its amalgamation to form the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd, now EdUHK), a process which she helped oversee. Since 2000 she has taken numerous roles relating to environmental care of Hong Kong, including being part of the Monitoring Group on Trials and Studies for the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme, a member of the Wetland Advisory Committee, and panel member of the Environmental Impact Assessment Appeal Board. She is now Chair of HomelandGreen, a non-profit organisation which aims to improve soil quality and reverse desertification and soil degradation. Their activities include raising awareness of the importance of soil, supporting local farmers to regenerate soil in Hong Kong, and supporting tree-planting projects in Mainland China to combat desertification.

Video of the talks.

Other Sessions

8th Dec. 2018: Consumerism and Growth

19th Jan. 2019: Disruption of Technology

16th Feb. 2019: Moving Beyond Zero Impact

16th Mar. 2019: Technology and the Global Order of Business

27th Apr. 2019: Un-commodifying the World See the event’s gallery.