HK and Guangdong co-operate in sustainable development

Hong Kong and Guangdong will co-operate in efforts to bring about sustainable development in the region, the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Gordon Siu, said today (Monday).

Speaking at a seminar entitled "Hong Kong - Guangdong Environmental Partnership, Seminar on Environment and Energy" organised by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Mr Siu said communication is one of the essential ways to achieve this target.

We shall build on the foundation laid by meetings of the Hong Kong Guangdong Joint Co-operation Committee and the Hong Kong-Guangdong Environmental Protection Liaison Group, he said.

"The common objective of these meetings is to reduce emissions that cause us common problems; to increase the efficiency with which energy is used; and to understand the social and economic demands that we face so that we can respond to them in ways that reduce environmental impacts and preserve a healthy natural environment that will continue to sustain us and our children."

Sustainable development is a process that puts the achievement of economic security, social justice and environmental quality on an equal footing, not deferring or subordinating one in order to achieve another, Mr Siu said.

"It also requires understanding of the need to use resources wisely so we don't prejudice the prospects of our children or neighbours.

"It is not a goal Hong Kong and Guangdong can each pursue in isolation, it is something we have to work together to achieve."

"Economic growth has been good for us," he said, "but the way we are generating power and the way our transport systems have developed to service that growth now threaten to undermine economic prospects with health costs, loss of productivity and turning away of people and investments that are needed for the future."

Targeted action for the short, medium and long term is needed, he said.

In power generation, for the short term, better quality coal and cleaner burning technology is needed. Over the medium term we need to look into the possibility of using other sources of energy including solar energy.

For the longer term, improvement will depend on the design of the whole city; how we can reduce demand in energy; and how we can minimise energy production that will have a possible impact on the environment, he said.

End/Monday, March 15, 1999

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