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Press Release
Public support and participation needed to improve environment<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
In response to media enquiries about a survey on the sustainable development index, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department said today (June 16) that public participation and support were needed to improve the environment.
"Only through a shared vision and joint efforts of the Government and the public can we guarantee success in resolving the problem and attaining a more sustainable way of living in Hong Kong," he said.
"Improvement of air quality tops the Government's environmental agenda and there is no quick solution to the problem. Although it takes time to see the results, the Government spares no effort in achieving the 2010 emission reduction targets through local emission reduction measures and co-operation with Guangdong.
"The Government has proposed to reduce emissions from power plants through the post-2008 Scheme of Control Agreements that regulate the electricity market.
Apart from introducing Euro IV emission standards for new vehicles by 2006 and a scheme to impose maximum limits on the volatile organic compound content of paints, printing inks and selected consumer products, the spokesman said the Government would work vigorously with Guangdong on an emission trading pilot scheme covering thermal power plants in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta Region.
"Air cannot be cleaned up by the Government alone and joint efforts by both Hong Kong and Guangdong are necessary," he said.
On waste management, the spokesman said that the Government recognised that Hong Kong had an imminent waste problem.
The Policy Framework published in December 2005 embraces the concept of sustainable waste management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Hong Kong with clear targets and timetable for the 10 years from 2005 to 2014.
It is built on three-tiered approaches with avoidance and minimisation as top priorities, followed by reuse, recovery and recycling, with bulk reduction at the end of the hierarchy.
"We propose to use economic tools of MSW charging and producer responsibility schemes which enshrine the polluter-pays principle to induce behavioural changes to ultimately reduce waste.
"It is important to enlist the concerted efforts of the community -- including households, businesses, industries and the Government -- to solve the MSW problem," the spokesman said.
Since the issue of the Policy Framework, the Government has been collecting views from the stakeholders and the public through public forums, interactive communications on the dedicated website, newspapers as well as the submission of written views.
Ends/Friday, June 16, 2006
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