Department of Journalism and Communication "Hot Dialogue with Mr Edward Yau Tang-wah, JP, Secretary for the Environment, HKSAR "

Edward Yau: Building incinerators is the only option

"Building incinerators is the only option in Hong Kong... making three reclamation areas full, with a possibility to be extended to country parks; however, we must pay 15 times of resources to handle.", Edward Yau Tang-wah, JP, the Secretary for the Environment, shared his views on environmental protection after returning from Japan.

At a forum entitled "Hot Dialogue" organized by the Department of Journalism and Communication, Chu Hai College of Higher Education in Hong Kong, Yau offered his observations of setting up incinerators in Japan as well as in Guangzhou, China.

"Environmental protection does not have to be a losing business; instead it can generate energy with economic benefits, like energy-saving lighting can reduce electricity."

He visited an incinerator which was near to a residential zone in Tokyo. Not only the incinerator stopped the release of strange smell, but it also generated heat, providing energy to such social amusements as indoor swimming pools, bathtubs and education centres. Another incinerator was built in Austrian style where a coluorful thematic park for children was set up to provide education.

He highlighted that a consensus had to be reached in community through discussion in the construction process. In Hong Kong, it is clear that the building of incinerators is the only way out.

He also displayed a gift presented by the Ministry of Environment of Japan, with a simple packaging using a headscarf. It was a reused wrapping for original gift packaging. "Changes starting with minor things lead to changes of mindsets at personal and governmental levels", he said.

With regard to the solution of cross-border pollution problems in Hong Kong and Guangdong province, Yau said the cooperation between both sides could be developed in three ways: First, both sides should set up a common goal through the signing of an agreement by both governments in 2002 aiming at reducing emissions. This had been a successful step forward. Of the four major air pollutants in Hong Kong, three of them had been effectively monitored. Guangdong authorities had also adopted a series of measures according to the agreement.

Second, both sides should take the first step so as to yield good results. As mentioned in the Chief Executive's Policy Address, 93 million dollars would be allocated to assist Hong Kong industrialists in the Pearl River Delta in order to improve production facilities and to enhance environmental benefits while buttressing their economic efficiency. He visited a large-scale printing plant, in which it could meet environmental standards better than the regular ones with the technical support from Hong Kong Productivity Council. It also saved 70% of the printing ink loss and reduced 500,000 tanks of printing ink within a year.

Third, we should encourage mutual respect and empathy. People in Hong Kong should not think merely from a local perspective, but also from a national one. Yau mentioned that some of the national environmental standards were even stricter than those in Hong Kong and was implemented at a quicker pace.

"Hot dialogue" is a forum run by the Department of Journalism and Communication, Chu Hai College of Higher Education in Hong Kong that invites government officials and political celebrities to share their views with the students.