ENG-2003 — Page 343

THE ENVIRONMENT

Council on the Environment considered the results of a strategic environmental 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 performance 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. Since 2000, all bureaux and departments have been required to publish annual environmental performance reports on their operations, programmes and policy areas. To further improve the quality of their reports, a seminar workshop was launched together with the dissemination of a Benchmark guidebook in January 2003. 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. Various special panels were formed under the Joint Working Group to examine specific environmental issues in which cooperation could be enhanced.

In combating regional air pollution, the HKSAR Government and the Guangdong Provincial Government are working together and have drawn up a regional air quality management plan that aims to reduce the regional pollutant emissions by 20 per cent to 55 per cent by 2010, taking 1997 as the base year. On the water quality front, Hong Kong and Shenzhen are undertaking a 15-year joint implementation programme to gradually reduce the pollution loads in Deep Bay with the objective of returning the water body to a clean and healthy state by 2015. In 2003, a regional strategy to protect the water environment of Mirs Bay was jointly developed by the two sides. In addition, Hong Kong and Guangdong are now working on a joint project to construct a numerical water quality model to provide an analytical tool and the

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