1 / 22

Environmental Sustainability

The University of Hong Kong The Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management. Environmental Sustainability. Professor Peter Hills. Issues. What have we achieved so far? Do we understand sustainable development? Issues that we have to tackle.

airlia
Download Presentation

Environmental Sustainability

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The University of Hong Kong The Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management Environmental Sustainability Professor Peter Hills

  2. Issues • What have we achieved so far? • Do we understand sustainable development? • Issues that we have to tackle

  3. Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development in Hong Kong • Improvements in environmental quality while maintaining economic growth • Problems remain • Waste disposal is a critical problem • Transition from an exclusively local focus to a regional PRDR focus (air and water) • Implication is that problems cannot be dealt with by purely local policy and action

  4. Hong Kong Population Projections: 1971-2001 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016 2021 2026 2031

  5. Hong Kong Air Pollutants Emission Inventory: 1987-1999 Source: EPD, HKSAR (2001); Internal Data, EPD, HKSAR (2002)

  6. Hong Kong Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 1990 - 2000 Source: EFB, HKSAR (2001)

  7. Hong Kong End-Use Energy Consumption per Dollar of GDP: 1989-2010 Source: Environment & Food Bureau, HKSAR (2001)

  8. Hong Kong End-Use Energy Consumption and Intensity:1984-2010 Projected energy intensity figures for 2001-2010 Source: CSD, HKSAR (2001); EFB, HKSAR (2001); EMSD, HKSAR (1999)

  9. Energy Intensity in Selected Asian Countries 1980-1999

  10. Municipal Solid Waste Generation Solid Waste Generated 1989-2010 Source: EFB, HKSAR (2001)

  11. Construction Waste Generation Construction & Demolition Materials Generated (1989-2010) Source: EFB, HKSAR (2001)

  12. Water Consumption Source: WSD, HKSAR (2000 & 2001)

  13. Talking about Sustainable Development • 1992 Earth Summit • 1993 Review of the 1989 White Paper • 1996 Review • SUSDEV21 study (Planning Department) • 1999 Policy Address • Sustainable Development Unit (2001) and Council for Sustainable Development (2003)

  14. Hong Kong 2030 is “adhering to the principle of sustainable development” • This “requires that we balance social, economic and environmental needs so that a vibrant economy, social progress and better environmental quality can be achieved simultaneously. In this connection, we will inter alia, apply the evaluation tool, i.e., the CASET, developed in the SUSDEV21 Study in the strategy formulation process in order to obtain as far as possible an optimum balance between the three factors for the recommended strategies.”

  15. Council for Sustainable Development Strategy Sub-committee • Vision Statement: “Our vision is for Hong Kong to be a healthy, economically vibrant and just society that respects the natural environment and values its cultural heritage. By engaging the community in the process of building a strategy for sustainable development, we aim to ensure that Hong Kong will be a city for all to share and enjoy, for this and future generations”

  16. Results of stakeholder survey • Self-completion questionnaire with 15 representatives of 8 different stakeholder groups – 120 responses • Academics, business, environmental NGOs, other NGOs, civil servants, Legco/DC members, media, and environmental professionals • Selected for their knowledge/involvement as opinion leaders

  17. Sustainable development not seen as policy priority Level of understanding low except among environmental NGOs and international business community Local business community lags behind Lack of SD strategy, lack of policy integration and changing agendas are problems Economic growth and environment still counter-positioned in Hong Kong Debate on SD in HK is not well-informed Progress towards a more sustainable HK – government is far more optimistic than other stakeholders Academics and environmental NGOs least optimistic Debate on Sustainable Development

More Related