SEE exchanges views on ecological conservation and various environmental issues with young people (with photos)

     The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, today (November 2) attended the Dialogue with the Secretary for Environment and Ecology session on the public day of the 19th Eco Expo Asia to exchange views on the beauty of Hong Kong's ecology and various environmental matters with some 400 young people from various schools and uniformed groups.
 
     The event began with the screening of an extract of the documentary series "Enchanting China", produced by the Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), in collaboration with the Center for Environmental Education and Communications of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, as well as "Picturesque Bays of Hong Kong", which is the first episode of the documentary series "Beautiful Hong Kong" produced by the EEB. The documentaries showcase the contributions and achievements made by the country and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in environmental protection and nature conservation.
 
     Through the "Picturesque Bays of Hong Kong" documentary, Mr Tse highlighted that Hong Kong is not only a highly developed city, but is also committed to conserving the natural environment. He said that Hong Kong has a total of 25 country parks, the latest of which is Robin's Nest Country Park established this year. These country parks cover over 40 per cent of Hong Kong's land area together with 22 special areas. Hong Kong also possesses a designated internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention and the Hong Kong UNESCO World Geopark, etc. This proportion surpasses many cities with economic developments similar to Hong Kong, making it an important asset.
 
     In terms of sea area, Hong Kong has a coastline of about 1 200 kilometres and a total sea area of more than 1 600 square kilometres. Although it only accounts for less than 1 per cent of the total sea area of the country, it has numerous beautiful bays and a quarter of the country's marine species. Hong Kong is home to over 80 species of marine stony corals, more than the total sum in the entire Caribbean Sea. The bird species here exceed 580, accounting for about one-third of the country's total.
 
     Mr Tse said, "I hope that through the 'Picturesque Bays of Hong Kong' documentary, we can learn about the beauty of the place where we live, explore and, more importantly, cherish the beauty of Hong Kong's ecosystems and work together to help conserve nature."
 
     Young people attending the event were very interested in various environmental topics, and many of them noted the increasing frequency of extreme weather and Hong Kong's endeavours to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 to combat climate change. Mr Tse said that carbon emissions in Hong Kong already peaked in 2014, and the current carbon emissions have been reduced by about a quarter from the peak. The per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Hong Kong are one-fourth of those in the United States and six-tenths of those in the European Union, showing that Hong Kong compares well with other regions in carbon reduction. Nevertheless, achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is still a great challenge. The Government is leading Hong Kong towards carbon neutrality through a range of measures, such as accelerating green and low-carbon transformation, promoting green transport and cultivating the local practice of waste reduction and recycling, as well as developing new energy sources and green scientific research industries.
 
     Mr Tse said he hopes that through Eco Expo Asia, students can learn more about different environmental issues and integrate environmental concepts into their daily lives to practise low-carbon living, and lead Hong Kong towards a low-carbon future together.
 
     Apart from the Dialogue with the Secretary for Environment and Ecology session, speakers from the Hong Kong Observatory, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the EPD, etc shared their environmental information and knowledge during the green seminars to raise public awareness of environmental protection.
 
     The last day of Eco Expo Asia is a public day, which is open to all free of charge. This year's public day programme also includes guided tours, green workshops, a green market, green seminars and a free ride experience on a hydrogen fuel cell double-decker.