April 2016 – Waiting for the Green Leap Forward

In April 2010, Periscope looked at Hong Kong’s “Green Awakening”. Now, six years on we explore how far Hong Kong has travelled down the road of environmental awareness and protection.

The law requires that large scale development projects need to complete Environmental Impact Assessment reports, to evaluate how their effect on the environment and come up with ways to minimize any damage. But critics say the process is deeply flawed and can lead to conflicts of interest.

Green parties are an established part of the political landscape in many developed countries and regions. Not so in Hong Kong, where politicians who try to push green policies tell us about the difficulties of doing so in a city dominated by property developers and landowners.

Hongkongers are reasonably aware of the need for environmental protection, but some people still throw away waste paper and recyclable takeaway containers, or leave the tap running for more than they need to. What does it take to move people from lip-service to actually protecting the environment?