ENG-1994 — Page 468

THE ENVIRONMENT

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Amendments were made to the Noise Control Ordinance to provide the legislative framework required for further control on noise from construction activities; for effective monitoring of compliance with exemption orders granted by the Executive Council; and for increased maximum fines.

Amendments were made to the Buildings Ordinance to provide for control over the design and choice of materials for new buildings to achieve energy efficiency and conservation.

In line with the spirit of a public-private sector partnership to protect the environment, the government and a private organisation launched parallel green funds, totalling $100 million, to fund educational, research and community action projects and activities which will benefit the environment of Hong Kong. Applications for grants from the Environment and Conservation Fund set up by the government and the private sector green fund were being received and processed. The Environmental Protection Department also opened a visitors' centre in Wan Chai, in June.

The government is presently reviewing the implications of sustainable development for Hong Kong.

There are plans to blacklist contractors who repeatedly breach environmental laws. Internal instructions were being drafted by the government during the year, specifying regulatory action against such contractors, including suspension from tendering for government contracts.

- The Environmental Pollution Advisory Committee was renamed the Advisory Council on the Environment, with expanded terms of reference. Apart from combating pollution, it is also reviewing and recommending ways to protect and sustain the environment. This chapter also looks at Hong Kong's climate, topography, hydrography, and fauna and flora.

The State of the Environment

A 1989 White Paper entitled Pollution in Hong Kong - A Time to Act acknowledged that the reason the environment was in an unsatisfactory state was largely a result of the earlier lack of emphasis placed on this area by the government.

A series of measures has been introduced over the years to ensure that greater emphasis is given to environmental matters in planning decisions.

In December 1993, the government issued A Green Challenge for the Community, which was its second review of the 1989 White Paper.

Aside from stressing the need for public awareness and participation to improve the environment, the document examined the progress of the government's environmental protection programme, set down the basis for future action and explained new initiatives for improving the performance of the government and the community.

For the first time, 10 foundation stones were set down to assist the development of collective responsibility, including sustaining the environment for future generations, private sector participation and the adoption of the 'polluter pays' principle.

The government also proposed nine sets of regulations for 1995 — to ban open burning, control construction dust, control percussive piling and other construction noise, control the management of asbestos, control vehicle emissions, introduce sewage charges, introduce charges for the disposal of privately-collected waste at landfills, introduce charges for the disposal of chemical waste and promote energy efficiency and conservation in buildings.