Socioeconomic development and environmental pollution in Hong Kong--risks and opportunities

In the process of industrialization, Hong Kong has created an ever deteriorating environment. The increase in GDP is paralleled by a corresponding surge in the quantity of pollutants generated. Government initiatives to assess the gravity of the problem and to protect the environment began in the 1970s. The fear that too stringent control of the environment may stifle the industrial and business sectors has resulted in ineffective policies and inadequate environmental protection. Presently, Hong Kong is faced with poor air quality in most urban areas, streams polluted by livestock waste, beaches with excessive bacterial and toxic chemical concentrations, land pollution resulting from lack of space for solid waste disposal, and a high noise level from road traffic, construction and, in particular, aircraft traffic because of the location of the airport in the midst of a residential and industrial district. In a recent White Paper, Government outlined the new strategies to combat environmental pollution, which include a restructuring of the policy branch on environmental issues under the scope of planning and land use, upgrading of the sewage system, relocation of the airport, and the reduction of the sulphur content of industrial fuel. In the years ahead, Hong Kong is faced with new challenges. Environmentally, the commissioning of the nuclear plant at Daya Bay poses a risk of ionizing radiation. The construction of the new airport, together with extensive reclamation of the harbour and expansion of seaport facilities, will create changes in the tidal flow and the ecological system. The negative effects on the environment must be considered together with the potentially beneficial effects, economical and environmental. To achieve maximum impact in environmental protection, community participation is essential. To this end, education on the conservation of the environment should be expanded and specially targeted at schoolchildren, in whom environmental education has been neglected.