Green Living
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Hong Kong abounds in unexpected and often delightful contrasts.
On eastern Hong Kong Island, it takes less than 20 minutes by bus
from bustling Shau Kei Wan to reach To Tei Wan, the starting point of
the Dragon’s Back trail. Considered one of the Top 10 Hiking Trails in
the World, the 8.5-kilometre ridge walk offers spectacular views across
Hong Kong Island and the South China Sea. The hike comes to earth at
Tai Long Wan, a sandy beach noted for its clear waters and enticing waves.
Many Hong Kong hiking trails are near urban areas and easily accessible.
Urban districts and the countryside are just a stone’s throw away.
Hong Kong covers 1,105 square kilometres of land, three-quarters of
which is countryside with 40 per cent designated as country parks
and special areas. More than 11 million trips are made each year to
go hiking, picnicking, barbecuing and camping in the country parks.
Hong Kong also has five Marine Parks and one Marine Reserve to
protect and conserve local rich marine resources.
Just as Hong Kong’s amazing cityscape shifts smoothly into nature,
its biodiversity is equally astonishing. Hong Kong has more than
3,300 species of vascular plants; 57 species of mammals; and more
than 540 species of birds (one-third of all bird species recorded
throughout China). There are 86 species of reptiles; 236 species of
butterflies; 123 species of dragonflies, more than 1,000 species of
marine fish and 84 species of hard corals – a greater number of hard
coral species than in the Caribbean.
Many species are endemic to Hong Kong, such as the native
Hong Kong Balsam (Impatiens hongkongensis), the tiny Romer’s
Tree Frog (Liuixalus romeri), as well as the rare Bogadek’s Burrowing
Lizard (Dibamus bogadeki) and the Hong Kong Tusktail dragonfly
(Fukienogomphus choifongae).
Rich and wonderful biodiversity is a precious natural resource.
The government on average plants more than one million trees and
other vegetation in the countryside and urban districts each year
to green Hong Kong. It has also instituted a range of environmental
protection policies and measures to mitigate environmental pollution,
promote environmental technology and green building, advocate energy
saving and ‘waste less’, and strengthen environmental education
to build a sustainable future. Major strides are being made to achieve
the ambitious target of reducing Hong Kong’s carbon intensity by
65 per cent to 70 per cent in 2030 compared to the 2005 level.
Various measures have been implemented to improve air quality, such as
phasing out about 82,000 old diesel commercial vehicles by end-2019
(over half of which are already off the road), promoting the use of electric
vehicles, requiring ocean-going vessels to switch to low-sulphur marine
fuel while at berth in Hong Kong, and strengthening co-operation with
the Mainland. These measures are beginning to bear fruit, particularly at
the roadside. In recent years, air pollutants (including roadside nitrogen
dioxide and PM2.5) have been reduced by around 30 per cent.
Green building design and technology can help address the problem
of climate change. The government introduced in 2012 statutory
standards for the energy efficiency performance of new buildings and
buildings undergoing major renovation, and has invested in energy
efficient infrastructure, including the District Cooling System in Kai Tak
Development, which is 35 per cent more energy efficient than traditional
air-conditioning systems. Opened in 2012, the Zero Carbon Building at
Kowloon Bay was the city’s first building with a zero carbon footprint.
It has adopted over 80 kinds of green technologies to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. The T‧PARK sludge treatment facility at Nim Wan, Tuen
Mun, opened in 2016, is one of the most technologically advanced
facilities in the world. Heat produced from incinerating sludge is
recovered for electricity generation, thus transforming waste into energy,
which is also used to provide heating for the spa pools established within
its Environmental Education Centre, for the public to enjoy free of charge.
On the waste side, the government introduced a charging scheme
on plastic shopping bags, which has reduced their use. Premised on
the “polluter pays” principle, two Producers Responsibility Schemes
on waste electrical and electronic equipment and glass beverage
containers are being implemented to promote their recycling. The
government also plans to introduce municipal solid waste charging to
drive behavioural change in waste reduction, and has been developing
“Community Green Stations” in each district to enhance support
for waste reduction and recycling at the local level. Meanwhile, the
government has been promoting a “food wise” culture to reduce food
waste. The first phase of the organic waste treatment facility in Siu Ho
Wan will start operation at end-2017 and will convert food waste into
renewable energy and compost.
Other initiatives include substantial investment in sewerage and
wastewater treatment infrastructure which has vastly improved the
water quality of Victoria Harbour, formulation of the “Hong Kong
Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2016-2021” as well as taking
forward legislative work to phase out the local trade in ivory.
Hong Kong’s floral emblem Bauhinia × blakeana is commonly called the Hong Kong Orchid Tree.
Left: The Zero Carbon Building in Kowloon Bay generates on-site renewable
energy and achieves zero net carbon emissions on an annual basis.
Below: A multi-year rural community programme at Lai Chi Wo assesses
sustainable development.
Bottom left: The T · PARK sludge treatment facility in Tuen Mun,
opened in 2016, marks a significant step forward in Hong Kong's
waste-to-energy journey.
Green Living
Bottom right: The Harbour Area Treatment Scheme improves
water quality in Victoria Harbour.
Grassy Hill on the MacLehose Trail, which stretches 100 kilometres east to west across
the New Territories between Sai Kung and Tuen Mun.
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Right: Big Waster was ‘born’ in 2013 to lead the
campaign against food waste.
Below left: A pilot composting plant at the Kowloon Bay
Waste Recycling Centre.
Below middle: A charging scheme for plastic shopping
bags became fully effective on 1 April 2015.
Below right: Operators sort glass bottles for recycling.
Green Living
Left: An electric police vehicle at a recharging station.
Below left: Introduction of Euro IV diesel vehicles is part
of Environmental Protection Department (EPD) efforts
to phase out some 82,000 polluting diesel commercial
vehicles by end-2019.
Below right: EPD inspectors check that a ship is using
low-sulphur diesel fuel, mandatory for ships at berth in
Hong Kong since 2015.
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Local fauna
Native flora
1 Common Flangetail dragonfly
1 Red or Sims’s Azalea
2 Romer’s Tree Frog
2 Chinese Gugertree
3 Chinese White Dolphin
3 Chinese New Year Flower
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4 Grantham’s Camellia
4 Common Indian Crow and Common Tiger butterflies
5 Bauhinia × blakeana
5 Bogadek’s Burrowing Lizard
6 Hong Kong Camellia
6 Bluespotted Mudskippers
7 Hong Kong Rose
7 Black-faced Spoonbills
8 Fortune’s Keteleeria
8Macaques
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