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8.
Globally, there is a strong drive for sustainable
development and environmental management, requiring governments
and businesses to fulfill environmental standards.
In many advanced countries, environmental policy has
become part of the economic policy.
Japan
re-defined pollution as an economic problem ten years ago.
The Canadian government mandated all the policy
ministries to develop a respective sustainable development
agenda. In the
Netherlands
independent professional scientists have been appointed to
analyze emissions. Even
in Mainland
China
, where economic development is still a priority, environment
regulations are increasingly taken seriously, despite the still
disparate application across the nation.
If
Hong Kong
were to follow the global best practice, we need to integrate
environment into the HKSAR government��s economic policy, with
clearly-defined regulations that are environmentally relevant.
9.
It is encouraging that in the 2007 Policy Address,
environment is no longer treated as a local problem, but stated
explicitly as a national and global issue, as exemplified by the
reference to climate change.
The government has committed to implementing the Sydney
Declaration and, significantly, it accepted the invitation to
join the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group on 8 November 2007.
Through the Chief Executive��s Policy Address the
government has undertaken to roll out the mandatory energy
labeling scheme, conduct carbon audit for the new government
offices at Tamar, promote bio-diesel, and commission a
consultancy to study
Hong Kong
��s adaptation to climate change.
However, this is not enough, as both the Hong Kong
community and literally the world community now have high
expectations of
Hong Kong
, now that the HKSAR has signed the APEC Sydney Declaration and
joined the ��C40 Cities�� Climate Leadership Group.
In our view,
Hong Kong
should formulate a concrete action plan for the city to, among
other things,
- set
out specific local green house gas emission targets which
should be more ambitious than that applicable to a
developing economy, and allowing
use of international emissions credits towards achieving the
targets; (1)
- explore
ways to develop
Hong Kong
into a financial platform for trading emissions, including
carbon emissions; (2)
- develop
and implement carbon offset schemes;
(3)
- pursue
low-carbon developments, through demonstration projects and
relevant carbon audit schemes, starting with the public
sector;
(4)
- be
more proactive in international forums on climate change,
just as
Hong Kong
has been active in multilateral forums on trade.
(5)
10. Furthermore,
Hong Kong
should take a more proactive role in taking part in CDM
(Clean Development Mechanism) projects under the Kyoto Protocol. Currently,
Hong Kong
based companies are treated as foreign entities in the Mainland,
thus preventing them from taking up majority interests in CDM
Projects. But a
model for closer cooperation with the Mainland already exists,
in the form of CEPA �V the Closer Economic Partnership
Arrangement between the Mainland and
Hong Kong
, initiated and championed by the Chamber.
CEPA be used as the basis for qualifying
Hong Kong
companies as PRC entities for the purpose of meeting the
requirement of majority Chinese ownership �V as set out in the ��Measures
for the Administration of the Operation of Clean Development
Mechanism Projects�� �V in renewable energy and other
projects that are eligible for CDM.
This will enable Hong Kong-based companies to more
actively pursue CDM related business.
(6)
11. Although
the pollutants that cause climate change do not necessarily
contribute to local air pollution, emission control and energy
efficiency have both local and global environmental benefits.
Accordingly, we would continue to champion a tripartite
partnership approach (government, business and the community) in
addressing climate change through promoting green building,
green lifestyle and green business practices.
(7)
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