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This article examines the ‘greening’ of Hong Kong in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with an emphasis on the afforestation of the colony's ‘barren’ mountainsides from the 1880s. To date, histories of Hong Kong have tended to focus on the colonial state's urban interventions, particularly on the draconian measures it took to ‘sanitize’ Chinese districts. In contrast, this article connects Hong Kong's urban development with the history of green space and the cultivation of ‘nature’. While the state sought to transform the ‘barren rock’ into a visible correlate of the colony's aspiring status as an imperial hub in Asia, the promotion of hygiene and health provided a further rationale for tree-planting. The article argues that colonial Hong Kong provides insights into the ‘tropicalization of modernity’ and the constitutive processes by which colonial power was naturalized and legitimated through planning practices that extended from the urban to the natural. A study of Hong Kong's afforestation underscores the importance of the natural environment as a ‘contact zone’ between colonial and ‘native’ cultures; it also reveals the extent to which the equation of a ‘green’ landscape with economic (re)production and colonial order, functioned as a critical trope for framing race and labour. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses how parties can litigate under the Hong Kong's Wild Animals Protection Ordinance for the protection of pink dolphins, as of July 2014. Topics discussed include provisions available in the ordinance for protection of pink dolphins and other marine species; need of statutory amendments to protect Hong Kong's natural resources, habitat, and species; and the Hong Kong's court case 'Shum Kwok Sher v. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).'

Despite growing interest in China's response to climate change, few studies address what is happening at the sub-national level. Hong Kong has implemented several mitigation and adaptation climate-related initiatives. An analytical framework combining multi-level governance with the concepts of institutionalisation and legitimisation is applied to Hong Kong's climate initiatives. Hong Kong's ability to devise a climate change strategy that is institutionalised and legitimated is found to be constrained by a range of climate policy-specific and broader socio-economic and political factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses environmental protection activities in China from 1980 to the early 21st century. It focuses on the city of Hong Kong, which transferred from British to Chinese sovereignty during that time, and emphasizes collaboration between Hong Kong and mainland China on environmental innovations. The respective contributions of governments, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector are analyzed. Examples involving air quality and water quality management are discussed in terms of public health.

Abstract: To reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through thermal energy conservation, air-conditioned offices in the subtropics are recommended to operate within specified ranges of indoor temperature, relative humidity and air velocity. As thermal discomfort leads to productivity loss, some indoor environmental policies for air-conditioned offices in Hong Kong are investigated in this study with relation to thermal energy consumption, CO2 emissions from electricity use, and productivity loss due to thermal discomfort. Occupant thermal response is specifically considered as an adaptive factor in evaluating the energy consumption and productivity loss. The energy efficiency of an office is determined by the productivity which corresponds to the CO2 generated. The results found that a policy with little impact on occupant thermal comfort and worker productivity would improve the office efficiency while the one with excessive energy consumption reduction would result in a substantial productivity loss. This study is a useful reference source for evaluating an indoor thermal environmental policy regarding the energy consumption, CO2 emissions reduction, thermal comfort and productivity loss in air-conditioned offices in subtropical areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

China's status as the world's largest sulfur dioxide emitter carries with it serious hazards to human and ecosystem health. The National People's Congress began to address this in 2000, when it promulgated national SO2 emissions caps. By 2010, SO2 emissions across the Mainland were supposed to stabilize at pre-set baselines. Rather than decreasing, however, emissions are reaching alarming new levels. China needs a more powerful mechanism, such as an emissions trading scheme (ETS), to achieve lower levels of emissions. The United States' Acid Rain Program provides an almost ideal model, but a unique variable is added when Hong Kong and Macau, the two Special Administrative Regions, are considered. Each region maintains exclusive jurisdiction over its own environmental policy under the constitutional matrix of "one country, two systems." Thus, a Chinese ETS incorporating the SARs would essentially operate in an international context. Hong Kong and neighboring Guangdong Province are negotiating a regional, transboundary ETS that could provide solutions, but the present conceptualization forming the basis for those negotiations is lacking in several critical regards and will likely prove ineffective. This article is novel in considering how to meaningfully encompass the SARs in an effective ETS framework. After an introduction to the issues, Part II establishes why ETS is necessary for China. Part III introduces the framework for environmental legislation in mainland China and the SARs, including the constitutional relationship between the SARs and other local governments in mainland China. Part IV will discuss the history of Chinese ETS pilot programs with a focus on lessons learned in Jiangsu Province. Part V analyzes the practical difficulties and shortcomings that have hampered other leading ETS regimes, highlighting the need for centralized authori- ty. Part VI evaluates current prospects for regional and national ETS, based upon an analysis of existing regulatory frameworks. Finally, Part VII concludes by recapping the recommendations, especially the need for a powerful supranational compliance and enforcement mechanism to manage long-term, transboundary, environmental policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing attention has been drawn to the risk posed by air pollution, a risk that has wide-ranging effects (on the environment, health, the economy, culture, urban design and politics). New environmental movements and political agendas have emerged in the past 10 years. A growing number of social groups have been formed to express their concerns and challenge established laws and rules. This paper will borrow Ulrich Beck's concepts of risk, reflexivity and sub-politics to analyse the new social movement that addresses air quality in Hong Kong. While previous environmental problems were considered manageable, air pollution is a risk that seems to defy solution. As a result of the institutional failure to deal with this risk, there has been a new alignment of interests and the emergence of a new form of politics—a sub-politics that leads to a sharing of power between established and informal politics, and the government and society. Although established political institutions have been receptive, altering the rules and increasing public participation, the extent of sub-politicization is still limited. This is due, in part, to the overall absence of reflexive self-regulation among individuals in the society, which might lead to a state of 'disorganized irresponsibility'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past efforts in studying environmental communication tend to focus on Western samples. This article investigates factors that are important in predicting female adolescents' environmental behavior in Hong Kong. Data from a survey conducted with a sample of 3,035 female adolescents show that environmental concern was the top predictor of environmental behavior, followed by perceived environmental responsibility, perceived effectiveness of environmental behavior, and perceived seriousness of environmental problems. It is surprising that environmental attitude was found to be the least important predictor of environmental behavior in the female adolescents of Hong Kong. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hong Kong's wastewater collection and treatment systems did not keep the pace with population growth and economic development in the past. The discharge of wastewater from domestic and industrial sources led to the deterioration of aquatic and marine ecological systems, the closure of beaches, the occurrence of red tides, and the bioaccumulation and contamination of seafood. Similar to other major cities in the world, Hong Kong has been working diligently to improve her water quality. The enactment of the Water Pollution Control Ordinance was a sign of the beginning of the fight on water pollution. In 1986, a flexible environmental management master plan was designed, and implemented over the following two decades. Currently, of the 2.6 million cubic meters of wastewater generated each day in Hong Kong, 98% receives suitable treatment. The deterioration in the quality of aquatic environments in the territory has been effectively controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental performance of Hong Kong's businesses is currently perceived as rather poor. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular are mostly unaware of the environmental impact of their business. Government and professional bodies have recently started to develop various initiatives to improve the SME sector's awareness of environmental and social issues, and external factors such as supply chain requirements, consumer preferences and energy prices are also exerting a growing influence. Based on extensive interviews with representatives of seven key stakeholder groups, this paper explores the effectiveness of such drivers to engage SMEs with environmental change and corporate social responsibility (CSR). It finds that most existing efforts, such as environmental support programmes and award schemes, do not have a great impact on the environmental and social performance of Hong Kong's SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid economic integration of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta under the policy of "One Country Two Systems" and the consequent social and environmental degradation mean that assessment of sustainability impacts of development projects is essential. However, some fundamental problems are identified for the two systems to carry out SIA before embarking on development projects: minimal integration in terms of institutional set-up, strategies and policies concerning sustainable development; pre-set sustainability indicators rather than tailor-made ones to assess policies, programmes and projects of various nature; and rather different social, economic and environmental norms and development problems. In the short run, given these constraints, SIA in the region though "necessary" is rather "impossible". Nevertheless, recommendations are put forward to facilitate regional cooperation of SIA practices in the longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a study of the views of 1304 international travellers about their perception of air quality in Hong Kong. Findings indicated that the respondents generally did not perceive the air quality in Hong Kong as a concern when they chose to travel; they had a neutral view of this issue. However, after their visit they considered Hong Kong's air quality in both indoor and outdoor environments as worse than in their home countries. Many visitors were willing to pay an additional departure tax to fund improvements. The findings of this study have implications for decision-makers in formulating more sustainable planning policies to deal with this important environmental issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this contribution is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China, and more particularly the processes of environmental reform in the region. The authors discuss developments in environmental policy over the past three decades and explore the utility of Ecological Modernization Theory as a basis for future environmental reform at the local level and as a mechanism for tackling broader regional environmental concerns. The contribution also explores linkages between technology policy and the environment in Hong Kong, arguing that while the SAR possesses certain competitive advantages, greater attention must be given to fostering and facilitating technological innovation in the environmental sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to achieve urban sustainability has become an indication of the competence of a municipal government aiming to gain world class status for the city. While both Guangzhou and Hong Kong are Chinese cities having their own formulation of urban sustainability, the implementation details and the actual sustainability blueprints are very different. As a result, the outcomes and prospects for urban sustainability are also different. Hong Kong has adopted a less integrative and more institutionally-oriented approach for urban sustainability Guangzhou has used the conventional approach to formulate an integrated sustainability programme for its local Agenda 21. Hong Kong's action plan emphasizes improving coordination, making objective assessments and achieving consistency in policy-making. Guangzhou, on the other hand, emphasizes the meeting of concrete environmental targets. Unfortunately, the new institutional arrangement and monitoring tools adopted by Hong Kong have not been able to achieve the original intent and neither is there the intention to go tot) far beyond the weak sustainability approach. On the contrary, Guangzhou has planned and attempted to incorporate industrial ecology in its development regime while heavily investing into pollution control programmes and pushing forward a green community programme at the grass-roots level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines cross-border environmental problems in Hong Kong, China. Public concern over cross-border environmental problems due to rapid industrial and urban growth; Effectiveness of the Special Administrative Region government; Indications of the fragmented environmental governance structure and a dominant pro-growth culture permeating the delta region.

Evaluates the factors influencing the implementation of the 1996 ISO 14000 Environmental Management System (EMS) standard in Hong Kong printed circuit board industry. Significance of ISO 14000 standard implementation; Decision factors for ISO standards implementation; Organizational changes required for ISO 14000 EMS.

Examines the plight of the Chinese white dolphin, Sousa chinensis, and its implication for environmental policy making in Hong Kong. Trade-offs between environmental protection and economic development; Focus on the environmental effects of the development of Chek Lap Kok airport; Assessment of environmental policy process.

Building capacity for environmental management requires more than the traditional disciplines of science and engineering. Six success factors have been identified in the development of Hong Kong's environmental protection institutions. They are a strong, unifying vision; scientific understanding of the problems; openness to face challenges; pragmatism in developing solutions; involvement of the community; and commitment at the highest political levels. Growth in institutions is not a linear process, but involves phases of growth, interspersed with consolidation and reorientation. Hong Kong has seen success in developing robust environmental protection institutions and infrastructure, and is now building new leadership capacity for future growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]