ABSTRACT
In the face of the worsening climate crisis, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is attempting a transition to sustainable development. Early-stage consideration of sustainability concerns during infrastructure development is imperative, as the costs of inserting sustainable elements are low, and systemic opportunities are optimal in the upstream planning and the preparation and design stages as compared with the financing stage. Early consideration of sustainability though, requires the establishment and use of sustainability standards that cover and integrate the entire infrastructure project life cycle. However, the current heterogeneity of standards in the preparation and design stage compared with those of the financing stage and the lack of coverage for upstream planning undermine existing standards’ effectiveness. Building on a comparative overview of key existing standards, this chapter proposes an integrated approach to sustainable infrastructure standards, which refers to (1) harmonizing existing standards across different stages of project development and (2) consolidating upstream planning standards to provide a set of best practices as the basis for further development. This chapter also provides a discussion of some strategic directions for the integration process and the role of Hong Kong in promoting sustainable infrastructure development in the BRI.
