Environment Hong Kong 1986-2011

Environment ENVIRONMENT HONG KONG Bureau 1986-2011 Greener Future or a rt f ffo E ed in ta s u S f o s r a e Y 5 2 Vision & Mission Our Mission Is to contribute towards realising this vision by Environment Environmental applying our professional knowledge and judgment Bureau Protection and drawing on international experience Department • to formulate policies and plans on environmental protection, energy, conservation and the promotion of sustainable development; Our Vision • to provide first-class physical infrastructure for the treatment and disposal of waste and wastewater; Is of a Hong Kong • to raise community awareness of and promote • which enjoys an environment that is both healthy and pleasant; public support for issues related to environmental • in which the community places a premium on sustaining such an environment protection, energy, conservation and for both themselves and future generations, and pursues sustainable development; sustainable development; and • to promote collaborative efforts through regional • in which the community enjoys a reliable and safe energy supply at reasonable and international co-operation; prices, while improving energy efficiency, promoting energy conservation and • to implement environmental protection and minimising the environmental impacts from the production and use of energy. energy related legislation and plans; and • to administer robust environmental impact assessment in the planning of new developments and major projects. Foreword ong Kong has made remarkable progress in modern living and our thirst for electricity and energy Pollution respects no boundaries. In addition to In bringing people and resources together, we expect H improving its environment over these past to support our high-technology, high-consumption controlling local pollution, the Government is that people from every walk of life will be involved in 25 years, as this report will explain. On many lifestyles. The Government is working to improve approaching Hong Kong’s future environmental advancing our environmental agenda. Changes to our measures, we live in a healthier and more pleasant energy efficiency, particularly in buildings, which sustainability in the context of our regional and behaviour and lifestyles are inevitable if we wish to city. However, there is also no doubt that more work consume 90 per cent of our electricity. But it is not international responsibilities. Hong Kong is closely enjoy a healthy, sustainable environment. We must all needs to be done. In the battle for a sustainable only the fabric of the buildings that needs to change. integrated, economically and environmentally, with act to make more efficient use of energy in our daily environment, we can only achieve progress with the The users – the people living, working, shopping and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, so we have been living and reduce our waste and other environmental concerted efforts of the community as a whole. studying in our buildings – must also be willing and working closely with the Guangdong authorities impacts. The effort will be rewarded by helping to prepared to be more mindful of the everyday ways in to improve the regional environment. To further make Hong Kong a greener and better place to live The Government has introduced a wide range of which they contribute to climate change. enhance co-operation, we are jointly mapping out a and work in. measures over the years to clean up our waters, strategy with Guangdong and Macao to transform manage our waste in an environmentally acceptable The impacts of individual action are even clearer the PRD region into a green and quality living area. way, minimise noise, improve air quality, make when it comes to waste management. Although Internationally, we have made it a central aim of this more efficient use of energy, protect the natural we have achieved a current municipal solid waste administration to support global efforts to combat environment and prevent new environmental recovery rate of 52 per cent, each Hong Kong person climate change. problems from arising. Increasingly, though, it is clear still throws away about six kilogrammes of waste from that future achievements will depend not only on their homes every week. This is putting enormous government initiatives, but also on deeper lifestyle strain on our landfills, and is a major challenge in a and behavioural changes place like Hong Kong that has limited land space. Mr Edward Yau within the community. We must all do more to reduce our waste, including Secretary for the Environment separating and recycling waste, purchasing products Two o f o u r g r e a te s t that produce less waste, and supporting measures challenges – climate such as modern incineration that can drastically c h a n g e a n d w a s t e reduce the volume of waste that requires dumping management – can only in landfills. be overcome if everyone i n t h e c o m m u n i t y I emphasise personal responsibility here because p a r t i c i p a t e s . T h e I believe the local community is ready to do more for greenhouse gases that its environment. This is quite different from 25 years contribute to climate ago, when people often regarded environmental c h a n g e a r e c r e ate d protection as unnecessary and unconnected to their largely as a result of lives. Today, more people than ever are recycling, people are willing to pay higher sewage charges for cleaner water, and more people than ever are demanding that the environment be improved. The environment has this on its side. Message from the Permanent Secretary / Director hange is the law of nature. The past few decades growing appreciation in the community of the need The success of our goals has been achieved not only The Environmental Protection Department has a Chave seen rapid change in Hong Kong. Our to move Hong Kong along a more sustainable path. through the drive of the Government, but also the much broader ambit of responsibility than in 1986 economy has raced ahead, technological advances support of our partners in the community. At times and many more stakeholders to deal with. Our work have brought improved efficiencies and new horizons, The aim of the 1989 White Paper was to fix problems we have faced resistance and challenges in the is more complex and difficult, but there is also a and people’s lives have improved. All of that change that already existed such as waste management, course of our work, but we have persevered because more positive and hopeful undertone to it. There are has come at a price, though, in terms of increasing water quality and sewerage, air quality and noise, we realise that Hong Kong has little choice: it must more people in the community who share our vision pressures on our environment. etc., and to introduce the concept of pollution improve its environment or pay a very heavy price and are working with us to achieve a greener, more prevention through the Environmental Impact in future. Today, people are willing to do more for sustainable future for Hong Kong. The Environmental Protection Department was Assessment. Progress on a number of our goals was their environment, whether it be recycling, bringing formed 25 years ago to balance the ledger between sufficiently advanced by the end of the 1990s that their own shopping bags, paying higher sewage economic growth and environmental protection. we were able to adopt a wider vision that placed charges to achieve cleaner waters, promoting energy It was a particularly hard task because at that time, environmental protection in the context of regional efficiency, using low emission vehicles or tightening most people were not interested in the problems of and sustainable development. standards of fuels. At the same time, they are also pollution. Their focus was on economic development more demanding of the Government than ever and advancement, and pollution was usually equated "Quality People, Quality Home" was a joint vision before. We are in fact encouraged by such demand. with litter rather than the serious problems of water, agreed by Hong Kong and Guangdong and it Much better to face high expectations than the air and noise pollution and waste management acknowledged that we needed to work together to apathy of 25 years ago. Ms Anissa Wong that we faced at the time. So the department had a improve our shared environment. That commitment Permanent Secretary for the Environment / double load: to identify and fix problems, and also to was further elaborated in the "Green and Quality Director of Environmental Protection convince people that this was worth doing. Living Environment" vision unveiled in 2008 that foresaw a low-carbon, high technology, greener living In order to build an ethos in environment across the Pearl River Delta region. the community that favoured This offered a clear statement that our economic protecting our environment, we development and our environment were entwined had to provide people with an – a key concept in sustainable development. The ideal to aim for – a vision. We long-term health of our economy and our population outlined our vision in the 1989 depends on acting today to protect the long-term White Paper, "Pollution in Hong health of our environment. Kong: A Time to Act", and we have continued to refine our vision in To this concept must be added the global vision light of new developments and a of a healthy planet. Climate change has become a growing concern around the world and Hong Kong’s priorities and policies increasingly reflect our determination

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