Seen to be Green
SCMP
Christine Loh
Under a new framework agreement, Hong Kong and Guangdong hope to become a “world-class economic zone” and develop a system to protect the environment. There are two sides to the equation – develop, while at the same time improve environmental conditions. This new mission requires our political, business and civic leaders to use the environment as a platform for growth. But the “green” growth mantra won’t work without a change in mindset.
Political leaders must play a leading role. They must raise the environmental performance bar, as businesses have a new level playing field. Standards need to be tightened so the right signals are sent out to the market. One role of government is urban planning, setting the stage for how this metropolis will be shaped.
Take air quality. Since Hong Kong and Guangdong agreed to collaborate in 1999, research conducted by both sides provides a good idea of where the most polluting emissions sources are located. A major environmental gain was the resiting of a large petrochemical plant away from the original intended site in Nansha . This was possible because scientists showed the impact more emissions would have on the heart of the Pearl River Delta. They also identified a better location in the west, where prevailing winds would carry emissions out to sea.
Hong Kong must keep investing in science. Officials in Beijing and Guangdong are now serious about research. Public and private funds both have a role; new insights often come from comparatively small private investments in innovative areas.
In Hong Kong, some of the most influential air-quality studies in the past decade have been privately funded. These include regional versus local pollution, the cost to public health from regional air pollution, and the Hedley Environmental Index – a world first to show real-time health effects of air pollution in Hong Kong. These projects were funded by a mix of local and overseas foundations. Mainland officials also note the results. That’s what happens when the research is good – people notice, and from there, better policies often follow.
Hong Kong and Guangdong have different legal and regulatory systems. The mainland is strong on policy but weak on enforcement. Beijing is trying all sorts of ways to push things forward. It has tightened air- and water-quality standards, held public hearings for water tariff adjustments, and issued new laws to improve the transparency of environmental information. For example, a new law, enacted in 2008, forces environmental protection agencies to disclose a range of information. Businesses are also required to disclose their emissions. The Shanghai Stock Exchange requires listed companies to disclose environmental violations, and to devise social responsibility proposals. Still, compliance remains poor.
Beijing believes environmental reporting and disclosure – in short, naming and shaming – will help China fight massive environmental problems. What will make Hong Kong strive for better collaboration with Guangdong?
Hong Kong certainly needs to tighten all sorts of standards, from air quality to energy efficiency, and light and noise pollution. Most of all, decision-makers need to believe that a clean environment, good public health and safe food is their responsibility. It is the role of governments to make wise decisions in the public interest. They have to deal with vested interests who want to squeeze profits from polluting practices or those that may harm public health.
However, even in Hong Kong, where we are supposed to know something about financial incentives, we, too, have not got the carrot-versus-stick formula right. Officials are comfortable with spending on hardware like highways, but don’t pay enough attention to innovative regulatory practices. Maybe at this stage, it would help if they just asked how many ways they could use the environment to maximise economic growth. This, in itself, would be a novel enough idea within government.
Christine Loh Kung-wai is chief executive of the think-tank Civic Exchange. cloh@civic-exchange.org
