*****************************************
Following is a transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, after attending an engagement session with representatives of green groups and academia on air quality issues today (September 20):
Reporter: Can you talk about what are the more urgent or important issues discussed in today's meeting?
Secretary for the Environment: The roadside air quality is considered one of the top priorities in Hong Kong, because it affects the public health a lot. In addition to that, diesel commercial vehicles and buses are the top polluters. So we would like to review the policies, and see how to take forward initiatives to improve these polluters.
Reporter: Will there be meetings like this in the future?
Secretary for the Environment: We would continue the public engagement process similar to this. The first one is on air quality, the future ones will be on solid waste, on energy and power policy, and, last but not least, on nature conservation.
Reporter: Did you talk about what kind of measures in response to Civic Exchange's study on (marine emissions)?
Secretary for the Environment: We are going to launch an incentive scheme that when ocean-going vessels get close to the berth, we will have incentives to incentivise them to switch to a low-sulphur fuel. That's the first step. We would like to see the situation and response, and in the long term we would see the whole area become a low-emission zone, and also if necessary we can have law to enforce them.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Thursday, September 20, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:26
NNNN