Hong Kong: the challenge of sustainability

Towards the development of sustainability indicators for marine biodiversity in Hong Kong

“…However, the existence of such indicator sets is no guarantee in itself that policies will ultimately be shaped by a greater sensitivity to the imperatives of sustainable development. In Hong Kong, as elsewhere, such decisions are ultimately political in nature (Hills and Barron, 1997), and reflect a complex process of resolving the trade-offs between the conservation of the environment and a variety of economic and social goals and objectives.…”

“…The territory experiences badly polluted marine waters, poor air quality, widespread noise pollution and increasingly serious solid waste disposal problems (Hills and Barron, 1997;Hills, 1997). Despite its impressive array of environmental laws and regulations, and a well staffed Environmental Protection Department, it has proved increasingly difficult to maintain the quality of the local environment in the face of enormous internal development pressures, and a growing problem of cross-border air and water pollution from neighbouring Guangdong Province (Hills et al, 1998;Liu and Hills, 1997b).…”

“…Despite its impressive array of environmental laws and regulations, and a well staffed Environmental Protection Department, it has proved increasingly difficult to maintain the quality of the local environment in the face of enormous internal development pressures, and a growing problem of cross-border air and water pollution from neighbouring Guangdong Province (Hills et al, 1998;Liu and Hills, 1997b). As noted elsewhere (Hills and Barron, 1997), the Hong Kong Government has been wedded to an environmental management approach based on pollution control, and has failed to develop a comprehensive and integrated environmental policy. Hong Kong has lacked a systematic approach to the environment, drawing together land use planning, nature conservation and pollution control efforts.…”

“…Hong Kong has lacked a systematic approach to the environment, drawing together land use planning, nature conservation and pollution control efforts. In part, this reflects the absence of widespread public pressure to address environmental concerns more vigorously, but it also reflects the Government's own growthoriented mentality, which dictates that measures ensuring Hong Kong's long-term economic wellbeing, and thereby its social and political stability, should be accorded a higher priority than the environment and its sustainability (Hills and Barron, 1997;Liu and Hills, 1997b). The inconsistencies and contradictions, as well as the negative impacts, of this pursuit of growth at the expense of the environment are clearly exposed in the Strategic Environmental Assessment carried out as part of the Territorial Development Strategy Review, the planning blueprint for Hong Kong to the year 2011 (Planning Department, 1995).…”

Business, environmental reform and technological innovation in Hong Kong

“…Under the 'one country-two systems', its capitalist system within China is protected until 2047 (Hills and Roberts, 2001). The nature and scale of Hong Kong's environmental problems are well documented elsewhere (see, for example, Hills, 1997;Hills and Barron, 1997). Its marine waters are badly polluted (Environmental Protection Department, 2002b); air quality is a serious problem, with frequent poor visibility.…”