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The Environment
environmental impact of energy usage and production. The Sustainable Development Division promotes sustainable development in both the government and the community and provides secretariat support to the Council for Sustainable Development.
Government spending on the environment in 2015-16 was budgeted at $16.4 billion, or about 3.5 per cent of total public expenditure.
Sustainable Development
The Council for Sustainable Development, appointed by the Chief Executive, promotes sustainable development in Hong Kong. The Sustainable Development Fund provides grants for projects that enhance public awareness of sustainable development or encourage sustainable practices. Since 2003, 63 projects have been approved and 56 of those completed, involving grants totalling more than $63 million.
The Sustainable Development Division oversees the government's sustainability assessment system, which aims to integrate sustainability considerations into the decision-making process. All bureaus and departments must conduct sustainability assessments of their major initiatives. and programmes and set out the implications in their submissions to the Policy Committee and Executive Council.
Environmental Awareness
The EPD works closely with the government-appointed Environmental Campaign Committee to enhance public environmental awareness through campaigns and community programmes, including activities promoting waste reduction and recycling, energy conservation and other initiatives. The department's environmental resource and education centres provide the public with easy access to environmental information. By providing funding to local non-profit-making organisations to implement educational, research and other projects relating to the environment and conservation, the Environmental Conservation Fund seeks to promote behavioural and lifestyle changes to protect the environment and promote sustainable development.
Cross-boundary Co-operation
Since environmental pollution transcends administrative boundaries, Hong Kong works with Guangdong and the Macao SAR on environmental matters. Under a Co-operation Agreement on Regional Air Pollution Control and Prevention signed in 2014, the three sides began the first regional air-quality study to understand the pollution characteristics of fine suspended particulates (PM2.5), which would help in the formulation of appropriate and effective policies to combat PM25 pollution in the Pearl River Delta region. This joint study will be completed in 2017. At the same time, the regional air quality monitoring network was enhanced. The total number of air monitoring stations increased from 16 to 23, including one in Macao for the first time. Results from the network show a substantial reduction in the annual concentration levels of most pollutants in the region in recent years. From 2006 to 2014, the annual concentration levels of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and respirable suspended particulates decreased 66 per cent, 20 per cent and 24 per cent respectively. To further improve air quality, the Hong Kong and Guangdong governments in November 2012 endorsed emission reduction targets/
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