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THE ENVIRONMENT

assessment of the Territorial Development Strategy Review in 1996. In 1997, the Planning Department began further studies on some new development areas that the review identified. Environmental Impact Assessments form the integral part of these studies and have identified major environmental issues and possible mitigation measures for integration into the land use plans.

Environmental Sustainability

The assessment of the Territorial Development Strategy showed that continuing urbanisation would likely have implications on air and water quality, increase public exposure to noise and overload Hong Kong's waste disposal capacity. While the timely provision of resources and environmental mitigation measures could resolve some of these issues, others may require fundamental reconsideration of the proposals' implications on Hong Kong's long-term sustainability. The issue of environmental sustainability is being revisited in the new round of review of the Territorial Development Strategy (known as the Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy) which began in September 2000.

Environmental Management

The Government has been promoting environmental management in both the public and private sectors since 1992. A number of initiatives have been introduced, including the Green Manager Scheme, the adoption of environmental auditing, the environmental management systems (EMS) and environmental reporting. The Government leads by example: all bureaux and departments have appointed their Green Managers; most of them have regular environmental audit programmes; and some have been certified to ISO14001 standard. Starting from 2000, all bureaux and departments are required to publish annual environmental reports on environmental performance in their operations, programmes and policy areas. To encourage wider adoption of this green practice by more local corporations, a special programme targeted at senior executives was conducted in September 2001 and a guidebook on environmental performance reporting for the private sector was published. Useful environmental management information is also available at the EPD's home page.

Cross-boundary Liaison on EIA and Environmental Planning

Environmental pollution transcends administrative boundaries. Hong Kong and Guangdong have worked together on environmental matters for nearly 20 years. In order to enhance the collaboration, a Joint Working Group on Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection was set up in 2000. Eight special panels were formed under the Joint Working Group to examine specific environmental issues in which cooperation could be enhanced.

On the transboundary air issue, the Government has completed a joint study on air quality problems in the Pearl River Delta region. Based on the results of the joint studies, Hong Kong and Guangdong reached a consensus in April 2002 to implement measures that would bring long-term improvements to regional air quality. The two Governments would aim, on a best endeavour basis, to reduce the regional emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, respirable suspended particulates and volatile organic compounds by 40, 20, 55 and 55 per cent respectively, using 1997 as the base year, and strive to achieve those targets by 2010. On the water quality front, based on the Deep Bay regional control strategy study completed in 1998, a joint implementation plan was drawn up in 1999 for both Hong Kong and Shenzhen to

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