Environmental sustainability is a term that continues to be questioned – in light of climate change, overconsumption and increasing population. Hong Kong is just one of many areas around the world facing these challenges, but is enough being done?
The goal of sustainable development is to strike a balance between the needs of the environment, society and economy in order to maintain a quality of life for both present and future generations. There are many ways in which we are trying to live more sustainably. This involves lowering energy consumption, using less water and reducing waste. We can do this by adapting our living and work conditions through sustainable architecture and design, using science to develop new green technologies and renewable energy and adjusting our individual lifestyles to reduce our consumption and conserve natural resources.
Pressing Issues with Sustainability
Hong Kong has an imminent waste problem, fuelled by our consumption-led lifestyles. Waste management alongside land scarcity are pressing issues in the city, where 7.3 million people are squeezed onto 1,106 square kilometres of land. The territory is highly energy dependant and the gradual reduction of available fossil fuels is becoming increasingly important. Air quality in Hong Kong is a major concern, with air pollution being contributed by motor vehicles and power plants. A focus on renewable energy and fuel innovation is needed. The territory is also facing a fresh water problem. Issues include an unsustainably high water-usage, reservoir leakage and spillage, and the potential for a drought. Water-usage is shockingly high. According to an article in the SCMP, in 2008, 129.1 litres of freshwater were consumed per capita per day. By 2014, this had increased to 132 litres per person.
Experts say Hong Kong has the potential to fulfil ambitions of becoming a pioneer of ‘green finance’ but the territory will have to step up its efforts on sustainability awareness, upgrade its infrastructure and fuel innovation to do so.
The Progression of Sustainability
There has been a rise of social enterprises in Hong Kong. These are business whose main focus is to accomplish social objectives – including working towards the benefit of the environment through sustainable development and re-investing their earnings towards furthering these objectives. The use of eco-friendly technologies and design in our homes and workplaces is a way of looking forward and ensuring that current resources will be able to meet both present and future needs. Green buildings are being designed, built, renovated and reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner to improve employee productivity, use energy, water and other resources more efficiently and reduce the overall impact to the environment.
A number of waste reduction programmes have been created to help Hong Kong domestic waste and also to help businesses adopt measures to reduce the amount of waste generated within their establishments or through the products or services they provide. The government is following the example of cities, such as Seoul and Taipei, and charging. Consumers already pay for plastic bags at shops and producers will begin paying for e-waste in a scheme the government is implementing in phases over 2017 and 2018.
However, the issue of developing a sustainable water strategy is more complicated. Hong Kong prices for freshwater are substantially lower than those of other countries of similar GDP. The government may need to be careful if they are to administer higher water tariffs for example. Hong Kong is already a hard city to live in for those living in lower-income households, and a tariff increase for a necessity like freshwater would make lives more difficult for those who already struggle to make ends meet.
The Future of Sustainability in Hong Kong
A sustainable future for Hong Kong would require a change of our mind-set to achieve economic and social development with conservation of the environment. It requires all sectors of the community to work hand in hand in order to achieve a sustainable future for Hong Kong. However research shows that businesses, individuals, the local community and the government are slowly coming together and heading in the right direction with the introduction of green initiatives and social enterprises.
