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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
In February, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a new report. The IPCC provides scientific, technical and socio-economic advice to the world community, and in particular to the Parties to the UNFCCC through its periodic assessment reports and special reports. The new report concluded that, to a 90% probability, human activity is warming the earth.
The Hong Kong Observatory stated recently that the average temperature in Hong Kong has increased by three to four degrees Celsius and that they do not see the temperature dropping below 12 degrees during the 21st century. This unstable climate indicates the influence of global warming and thus the potential destruction of the ecological equilibrium.
China taking the environmental pressures seriously
Rapid economic and industrial growth in the areas along the Pearl River Delta region in China is causing pressure on the environment. Seventy-four deputies from seven cities in the Pearl River Delta of China including Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhuhai, Jiangmenm Yunfu, Dongguan and Shenzhen submitted proposals to tackle the region’s environmental problems. Subsequently, 13 draft laws will be submitted to China’s legislature for first reading this year, including the town and country planning law and the energy saving law.
Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has vowed that the Government will meet energy saving and pollution control targets by 2010 as outlined in the 11th five year plan. The goal is to reduce energy consumption by 20% and major pollutants discharge by 10%.
Hong Kong SAR Government introduces new plans to tackle environmental pressures
Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang is restructuring the Government and making a new policymaking area, tentatively named the "Environment Bureau". The bureau will be dedicated to environmental protection and energy policy development. The environment was previously joined up with other policymaking areas but it is now deemed so important it should be a standalone policymaking issue.
Plans to build an environmental monitoring centre on the south coast of the Chinese mainland
The government in the Guangdong region, on the south coast of the Chinese mainland, is planning to build an environmental surveillance and warning system worth nearly US $300m to help stop environmental polluters. The region is home to thousands of factories and the facility's purpose will be to highlight those that are affecting the air and water quality as well as using the most energy.
The factories that have been hightlighted as having an impact on the environment are likely to need technological solutions. So there will potentially be opportunities for these factories to work with companies that can provide solutions in areas such as gas, smoke and chemical monitoring; technology and equipment for air purification; filtration; deodorisation; desulphurisation; dust control; and waste water recycling.
Investment into Asia to secure a sustainable future
Over the past 30 years, energy consumption in Asia has risen 230% and is expected to double by 2030. Subsequently, Japan has pledged to invest US $100 million in the Asian Development Bank to help combat climate change and promote greener investment in Asia. The money will be placed into two new funds, the Asian Clean Energy Fund and the Climate Facilitation Fund, to promote solar power, encourage construction of environmentally friendly infrastructure and focus on regional integration.
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