Message from the Permanent Secretary / Director

Ms Anissa Wong, JP

Hong Kong’s environment experienced some pleasing improvements in 2011 as we continued our efforts towards being a greener city. Our priorities continued to be air quality and waste management, but we are addressing environmental issues across the board and continuing to strengthen regional collaboration to achieve our shared goals for a quality living area.

Air quality by most measures has improved steadily over the past decade as a result of controls on emission from power plants and motor vehicles as well as on products containing volatile organic compounds. However, there is an exception: roadside levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have increased by 23 per cent from 1999 to 2011. We addressed this problem aggressively in 2011 with measures targetted at those polluting vehicles which ply our busy roads. Some $150 million was earmarked to help owners of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) taxis and light buses replace the catalytic converters on their vehicles, and a trial was launched to retrofit Euro II and Euro III franchised buses with selective catalytic reduction devices. The $300 million Pilot Green Transport Fund was launched to support public transport operators and goods vehicle owners in testing green and innovative transport technologies. Pilot low-emission zones for franchised buses in busy corridors were set up. And a statutory ban on idling engines came into effect. There will be more measures in future to reduce roadside emissions and support our on-going programmes, but those unveiled in 2011 will help to sprint us forward. We are also preparing measures that would reduce emissions from marine vessels.

Our efforts to reduce waste are also bearing fruit. From 2006 to 2011 we increased the recovery rate of municipal solid waste from 45 per cent to 48 per cent. Much of this gain was with domestic waste. In 2011, we announced a comprehensive waste management strategy that builds on our past achievements. For example, we have successfully brought waste separation and recycling to more than 80 per cent of the population. But we still need to reach more people so in 2011 we announced the Community Recycling Network to address the gaps. Our waste strategy also acknowledges that we cannot achieve sustainable waste management without proper treatment and disposal facilities. During the year we also continued to make preparations for extending the three strategic landfills as needed and for building Integrated Waste Management Facilities which will reduce the bulk of waste. Treatment facilities for organic waste are also being taken forward. A sludge treatment facility is under construction and will be commissioned in 2013.

On water quality, we recorded 100 per cent compliance with our beach water quality objectives for the second year in a row. This was excellent news for the general public and led to four previously closed beaches in Tsuen Wan being re-opened to swimmers. The Harbour Area Treatment Scheme to collect, treat and safely dispose of the sewage from around Victoria Harbour is continuing to progress. Stage 1 was commissioned in 2001, Stage 2A is expected to be commissioned in 2014 and we are continuing with the preparations for Stage 2B. These measures will improve the harbour’s water quality.

Apart from dealing with specific pollution issues, we are continuing to address our regional and global obligations. Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao have developed a shared vision for a green and quality living area. In 2011, the three places jointly unveiled initial proposals on the Regional Cooperation Plan on Building a Quality Living Area (the Plan) and this was accompanied by a three-month public consultation. The Plan is the first regional cooperation plan jointly compiled by the three sides and it will form the basis for concerted efforts to improve the environment in the Greater Pearl River Delta region. Our global obligations encompass our energy consumption and our contributions to climate change. Buildings are responsible for 90 per cent of our electricity use and we are preparing for the commencement of the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance and implementation of the mandatory Building Energy Codes in 2012. We also sought people’s views on this topic through the 2011 public engagement on “Combating Climate Change: Energy Saving and Carbon Emission Reduction in Buildings”.

Our efforts in 2011 work towards one goal: to build a quality living area that goes beyond the boundary of a local city. Many of the measures we have been and will be pursuing have multiple impacts – for example, reducing air pollution may also reduce our carbon footprint. The interconnectedness of the environmental issues with our health and the health of the planet speaks volume for ensuring that we continue to press ahead to reduce pollution and enhance sustainable development.

Signature of Ms Anissa Wong, JP

Ms Anissa Wong, JP
Permanent Secretary for the Environment /
Director of Environmental Protection