Emission agreement: Guangdong Environmental Protection Bureau Director Li Qing and Secretary for the Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao meet the media after the Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Sustainable Development & Environmental Protection meeting.

Hong Kong and Guangdong have endorsed the implementation framework of the emission trading pilot scheme for thermal power plants in the Pearl River Delta region, Secretary for the Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao says.

The details will be announced when all necessary procedures are completed so that interested thermal power plants can start identifying their partners, she added.

Dr Liao and Guangdong Environmental Protection Bureau Director Li Qing co-chaired the Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Sustainable Development & Environmental Protection's seventh meeting in Hong Kong today. Both sides discussed the progress of the implementation of the Pearl River Delta Regional Air Quality Management Plan in 2006 and set out the work plan for 2007.

Useful platform

She told reporters after the meeting that the emission trading pilot scheme will be operated on a voluntary basis, offering a platform for thermal power plants to cut emissions and improve efficiency.

Hong Kong and Guangdong also agreed to set up a team as soon as possible to promote and manage the emission trading pilot scheme.

Looking ahead, both sides will jointly analyse the data collected by the Regional Air Quality Monitoring Network and release the 2006 regional air quality monitoring report in April.

Water protection

Upon the completion of the expert review on the water quality model of the Pearl River Estuary region, the two sides will discuss work on a joint study for the protection of the estuary itself.

Additional measures will also be proposed to control water pollution in Shenzhen Bay (Deep Bay), and close liaison will be maintained to safeguard the quality of Dongjiang water.

Good progress has been made on the survey of forestry pests in Hong Kong woodland, which is expected to be completed by April. The results will bolster control of forestry pests in both places.