Readers discuss water security as economies pursue artificial intelligence development, and the importance of courts taking into account defendants’ backgrounds
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As policymakers, business leaders and sustainability experts gathered for Hong Kong Green Week 2026 earlier this month, much attention focused on artificial intelligence as a driver of innovation, productivity and economic growth.
Yet one critical issue risks being overlooked: water.
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The global AI race is often measured by computing power, advanced chips and the rapid expansion of data centres. Behind these technological advances, however, lies a growing demand for both energy and water. Data centres require vast amounts of electricity to operate and significant volumes of water for cooling. As AI capabilities continue to expand, so too will their resource footprint.
For Hong Kong, this poses an important question. The city has long benefited from a reliable water supply, supported by six decades of cooperation over Dongjiang water. Yet climate change, increasingly variable rainfall and growing pressures on shared resources mean water security cannot be taken for granted. While discussions about AI frequently focus on digital infrastructure and energy demand, the implications for water deserve equal attention.
This matters because water connects nature, the economy and society. In nature, water sustains rivers, wetlands, forests and coastal ecosystems that support biodiversity and enhance resilience to climate extremes. In the economy, every sector depends on secure water supply, whether for manufacturing, cooling, food production or urban services. In society, water underpins public health, sanitation and quality of life.
Meeting these challenges requires a shift from water management to water stewardship. Long-term resilience depends not only on securing supply but also on using water more wisely and protecting the ecosystems that sustain it.
Technology can play an important role. Waste water recycling, water reuse and efficiency improvements can reduce pressure on freshwater resources while supporting economic development. Around the world, treated waste water is increasingly viewed as a valuable resource rather than a waste product.
However, technology alone is not enough. Effective governance is equally essential. Water challenges cut across disciplines, requiring collaboration among engineers, environmental scientists, urban planners, financiers and policymakers. They also span sectors, demanding cooperation among government, business, academia and civil society. For Hong Kong, they are inherently cross-boundary, requiring continued collaboration with neighbouring jurisdictions that share interconnected water systems.
Above all, sustainable water governance requires professionalism: ethical responsibility, systems thinking, anticipatory thinking, stakeholder engagement and evidence-based decision making. The AI race may be powered by computing capacity, but its long-term success will ultimately depend on how wisely we manage the energy and water resources on which it relies.
Wanxin Li, visiting professor, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, and adjunct associate professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Court sentencing cannot ignore context
I write with reference to the letter, “Defendant’s background shouldn’t affect sentencing” (September 10). It is unquestionable that victims of sexual offences experience serious adverse effects which permeate various aspects of their lives. Yet, appropriate punishment does not mean neglecting the defendant’s background in sentencing, doling out identical sentences for factually distinct cases or usurping historical protections of defendants’ rights.
It is understandable to nurse desires for those convicted of heinous crimes to pay a high price. However, offenders remain an integral part of society. Awarding identical sentences to different defendants risks oversimplification – of the insuperable challenges they may have surmounted, of the influence of upbringing on recidivism. Equality does not mean treating everyone identically. It means treating everyone in light of their circumstances to reach similar objectives.
Moreover, apart from deterrence, sentencing aims to rehabilitate defendants. Rehabilitation requires collaboration between the state and the defendant. Considering contextual factors allows courts and law enforcement to implement optimal strategies to promote lawful behaviours and defendants’ reintegration into society.
Context-free punishments risk alienating defendants, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This can also exacerbate animosity between the police and defendants – or even their communities.
When perusing criminal justice news, we – as law-abiding people – have a propensity to forget that we may also suffer from lapses of judgment and engage in offending behaviour. If that happens, we would also hope that the judge looks at our case in context; that we are not inherently evil, but only fallible as human beings.
Contextualisation is the key to a more equitable society.
Alexander Clevewood Ng, New York
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
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