Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department has unveiled its annual report titled "Environment Hong Kong 2007", which reviews trends and events in environmental issues and reports on the work of the department during the year and sets out plans for the coming year.

"Environmental protection is a major policy area for the third term of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government," Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau said. "Our approach in addressing environmental issues is to set clear targets and milestones, taking into consideration the need to strike a balance between protecting the environment and sustaining economic and social development, while harnessing technological advancement and economic incentives to accelerate their attainment."

Sharing these views, the Permanent Secretary for the Environment and Director of Environmental Protection Anissa Wong said that perhaps the biggest change had been in people's attitudes towards the environment.

The report also gives an account of the department's decade of achievements, such as the joint efforts of the Guangdong administration on air quality improvement, which resulted in a reduction of locally generated emissions by 15% to 36%.  Waste management had also been improved through the investment of HK$10 billion in infrastructure for proper waste disposal. The completion of Stage 1 of the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme also resulted in vastly cleaner water in the eastern and central parts of the harbour.

"More than $8 billion will be invested to improve sewerage infrastructure, additional waste treatment facilities and reduction programmes and an air programme that aimed to achieve further reductions in pollution beyond 2010," Wong said.

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