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Environmental Sustainable City |
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Theme One: Integrated and Plastic Waste Management (A.M Session)
Chair: Dr. CHOW, Cheuk Fai Stephen (Associate Professor of SES, HKIEd)
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Prof. MA, Hsiao-Kang - Advisory Board Member of Experts Meeting on Solid Waste Management in Asia and Pacific Islands
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Dr. Tohru KAMO- Vice Chairman of Research Association For Feedstock Recycling of Plastics Japan
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Dr. Amy CUTTER-MACKENZIE - Research Leader of Sustainability, Environment and Education Research Cluster of Southern Cross University
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Dr. Mervyn JONES - Head of Collaborative Programmes, Waste and Resource Action Programme
Prof. SO, Wing Mui Winnie - Director of Centre for Education in Environmental Sustainability of HKIEd
Theme Two: Protected Area Management (P.M. Session)
Chair: Dr. FOK, Lincoln (Lecturer of SES, HKIEd)
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Dr. NG, Chun-yeung Young - Chairman of the Association for Geoconservation, Hong Kong
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Prof. ZHAO, Zhizhong Deputy - Director of Centre of National Geoparks Network of China of Ministry of Land and Resources
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Prof. WONG, Fook Yee - Adjunct Professor of Geography Resources Management of The Chinese University of Hong Kong
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Dr. CHEANG, Chi Chiu - Lecturer of Department of Science and Environmental Studies of HKIEd
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Nearly 50 scholars, researchers and experts from Taiwan, Japan, Australia, the UK, China and Hong Kong gathered at The Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) today (3 April) for an international symposium entitled “Environmentally Sustainable City”, part of the “I Act, U Act!” – Education for Plastic Waste Recycling campaign at the Institute in celebration of its 20th anniversary.
Organised by the Centre for Education in Environmental Sustainability (CEES) and the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES) at HKIEd with support from the Tin Ka Ping Foundation, the symposium covered the interrelated sub-themes of Integrated and Plastic Waste Management and Protected Area Management, with the aim of providing a platform for experts to share their views.
Delivering his welcoming remarks, Professor Joshua Mok Ka-ho, Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at HKIEd, quoted from the World Commission on Environment and Development’s report “Our Common Future”, stating that “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Professor Mok emphasised that proper management of municipal solid waste (MSW) and protected areas are needed to achieve environmentally sustainable cities.
As the world moves into an urban future, the rate of producing MSW is growing rapidly. Currently, about 3 billion urban residents generate 1.3 billion tonnes of MSW per year. By 2025, an estimated 4.3 billion residents will produce 2.2 billion tonnes per year. Plastic production has also grown from 204 million to 280 million tonnes per year over last ten years. This increase will continue without proper management.
By way of contrast, protected areas are internationally recognised regions for nature conservation. They are major tools for managing natural resources to secure a sustainable ecosystem. Currently, there are more than 100,000 protected areas covering approximately 11.6% of the world’s surface. However, the importance of protected areas is still poorly understood and underestimated. As a result, many areas receive insufficient support, which is a challenge for their management.
In the symposium’s morning session, experts from different parts of the world discussed the experience of integrated and plastic waste management in their respective regions. Among many others, Professor Ma Hsiao-kang, Advisory Board Member of the Experts Meeting on Solid Waste Management in Asia and Pacific Islands, discussed the experience in Taiwan, Dr Tohru Kamo, Vice Chairman of the Research Association for Feedstock Recycling of Plastics, Japan, discussed the situation in Japan and Professor Winnie So Wing-mui, Director of CEES, covered Hong Kong. They all addressed advanced points of waste management systems, including regulations, technology, prospects and challenges.
Integrated and plastic waste management in Australia and UK were discussed by Dr Amy Cutter-Mackenzie, Research Leader of the Sustainability, Environment and Education Research Cluster at Southern Cross University in Australia, and Dr Mervyn Jones, Head of Collaborative Programmes at the Waste and Resource Action Programme in the UK. The speakers discussed the successful experiences of the “Waste Wise Schools Program” in Australia and the integrated approach to producing mixed plastic packaging from household waste in the UK.
In the afternoon session, Dr Young Ng Chun-yeung, Chairman of the Association for Geoconservation, Hong Kong, and Professor Zhao Zhizhong, Deputy Director of the Centre of the National Geoparks Network of the Chinese of Ministry of Land and Resources, delivered overviews of geopark management in Hong Kong and China. They both pointed out that the special landscape and geology of geoparks provide a valuable tourism resource and an understanding of earth sciences through appreciation and learning.
Country park and marine protected area management were addressed by Professor Wong Fook-yee, Adjunct Professor of Geography Resources Management at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Dr Cheang Chi-chiu, lecturer at SES. Professor Wong addressed the recent controversy about releasing country parks for housing development, and both speakers pointed out the important role of parks in social and community development, as well as biodiversity conservation.
For more details on the symposium, please visit the CEES website: www.ied.edu.hk/cees.
2014-04-08 逾50專家聚教院 商可持續發展
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