Strategic Environmental Assessment:

Where does Hong Kong stand?

LAM Kin Che

Chairman, Advisory Council on the EnvironmentHead, Department of Geography and Resource Management, CUHK

Workshop on Strategic Environmental Assessment 18 June 2005

The Whole World is on SEA• EU directive (2001)• China EIA Law (2002)• World Bank• UNEP• IAIA Prague SEA

Workshop

The Whole World is on SEA• SEA is good and

necessary• Solution to limitations

of project based EIAs• Effective, relevant and

accountable • Towards sustainability

Hong Kong Can’t Do Without SEA

• Hong Kong 2030 Planning Study• Lantau Concept Plan• Air quality in PRD• HK has a long way to go!

Challenges & Opportunities

• Aspiration for quality of life• Builds on experiences

• Territorial Development Strategy Review• 3rd Comprehensive Transport Study• 2nd Railway Development Study• World Bank Training Workshop in China

• Mainland China – SEA is embedded in EIA Law 2002

Need for SEA in Hong Kong

• To address unresolved environmental issues• Regional problems• Cross sectoral issues

(Ming Pao, 26 Jan 2004)

Need of SEA for Hong Kong

• To address unresolved environmental issues• Regional problems• Cross sectoral issues

• Changing role of HK in PRD• Manufacturing base or service centre• Tourism and eco-tourism• World City – global citizen

Sustainability

Conflictresolution

Alternatives

Participation

Strategy

Needs

Planning

Cost-benefitanalysis

Consensus

Policy

Alignment

Mitigation

Site selection

Consultation

Plan

Technical

Justification

Project Design

Yes-No Decision

Project

Expectations of the EA ProcessP

rojec

t A

pp

rais

al

Need for SEA in Hong Kong• Addressing limitations of project EIA

• Cumulative impacts• Comprehensive view of developments• Development options and alternatives

• Towards sustainability, better governance and more coherent policies

Hurdles and Constraints • Institution Building

• Transboundary collaboration• Cross-sectoral: Bureaux and Secretaries• Greater public participation and transparency

• Ownership• Stakeholders to buy in

• Capacity Building• Practitioners• Public• Methodology• SEA Follow-up• QA/QC

Hurdles and Constraints• Public Participation /

Empowerment• Public engagement

strategy• Early• Reach out to all sectors • Enable the public • Make the public your “free

consultants”

ConsultativeConsultative

ParticipativeParticipative

Hurdles and Constraints

• Transparency• Sustainability paragraph in EXCO papers• CASET• Assumptions• Clarification of values (hidden) and trade-offs• How much the public is informed of the advice

from the environmental and sustainability perspectives?

The sustainability assessment should be conducted at the early planning stage of a proposal. It should help scope out cross-sectoral issues and sensitive areas that require special attention or joint departmental examination at an early stage. It should also facilitate the relevant Bureaux or Departments to resolve the issues through a concerted effort.

With effect from April 2002, include in their submissions to the Executive Council (ExCo) and/or the Chief Secretary's Committee (now the Policy Committee) the sustainability assessment findings or results of their proposals.

Extracted fron SDU webpage

The sustainability assessment should be conducted at the early planning stage of a proposal. It should help scope out cross-sectoral issues and sensitive areas that require special attention or joint departmental examination at an early stage. It should also facilitate the relevant Bureaux or Departments to resolve the issues through a concerted effort.

With effect from April 2002, include in their submissions to the Executive Council (ExCo) and/or the Chief Secretary's Committee (now the Policy Committee) the sustainability assessment findings or results of their proposals.

Extracted fron SDU webpage

The Weakest Link : Buying-in

• Resistance• Political complexity• Fear of power sharing• Difference mode of governance• “Bad” experience of public consultation

Ideology of Governance

Mainstream of Environmental Management

Environment

Prevention

Government

Upstream of Environmental

Management

Sustainability

Integrated Planning

Public Participation

The Weakest Link : Buying-in

• How to win their support? • Address some “bad” public

participation experience• Let them see the positive side

• Early buy-in => less resistance and greater certainty in project planning

• Good for the society, good for the government

Conclusion• The whole world is on SEA• There is a strong case for SEA in HK• Hong Kong has considerable

experience• We still have a long way to go

• Institution building, capacity building, public engagement, increasing transparency

• Key stakeholders must buy in

• We cannot afford not to do SEA