RICRI hosted a distinguished lecture on 3 June 2026, featuring Prof. Jim HALL, Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Professor of Climate and Environmental Risks, University of Oxford, as speaker. The event was also attended by key members of the RICRI Steering Committee, including Dr. Otto POON and Ir Prof. Frank CHAN. Dr Otto POON delivered a warm welcome speech to kick off the event.
Titled “Bouncing Back From Polycrisis: The Resilience of Global Infrastructure Systems to Climate and Other Shocks”, the lecture brought together Steering Committee members, faculty, researchers, students, and practitioners to discuss how to safeguard critical global networks under mounting pressures.
Prof. Jim HALL highlighted the growing vulnerability of the highly interconnected infrastructure networks that support the global economy. Pointing to recent disruptive events—such as droughts impacting the Panama Canal, maritime accidents in the port of Baltimore and the Suez Canal, and geopolitical conflict in the Strait of Hormuz—he illustrated the fragility of these global corridors. To counter these threats, Prof. HALL emphasised how leveraging newly available datasets, satellite observation, and artificial intelligence (AI) can enable us to analyse network vulnerabilities and predict resilience in unprecedented ways, providing critical evidence to guide infrastructure systems through an uncertain future.
The lecture was well received and reflected RICRI’s commitment to advancing dialogue on infrastructure resilience, climate adaptation, and sustainable global development.
