Tokotoko - China and the environment
WELLINGTON Mayor Celia Wade-Brown recently returned from a visit to Hong Kong. We asked her about how China’s environmental record fits with her green image and the opportunities that China presents for Wellington.
OUR economy and our environment: some see these two crucial elements of our city’s well-being as contradictory. While unthinking exploitation of natural resources can pillage our planet, there are many examples of positive businesses taking a sustainable path.
Nationally, New Zealand has examples of algae being turned into aviation fuel, wood pellets for clean household heating and well-sited windfarms producing competitive renewable energy. At a population of 4.2 million, and with some imports essential, e.g. computers, we need to look at increasing our export earnings per capita.
Part of the answer is to focus on Wellington’s growing weightless economy - including financial services, IT and creative film and gaming products. Distance learning is a good complement to incoming overseas students - both senior secondary to tertiary.
Having been to mainland China once last year and Hong Kong in January and observed it myself, the Chinese are making significant steps, despite issues of desertification, water shortage and pollution. All the mopeds I saw were electric rather than the old two-strokes, there were fast trains, millions of trees being planted. Public concern on air and water is loud and clear, certainly to local government.
The letter from Chris Robertson (Write On, February 15) is an opportunity to comment about the opportunities that China presents.
I visited Hong Kong as a guest of their state administration, and they provided a fascinating week’s agenda including meetings with their metro rail company, environmental policy and urban planning. For example, they’ve decided no more of Victoria Harbour will be reclaimed, housing development is concentrated at transport nodes and 40% of their land area is country park. WOW was a sell-out success and is a great cultural ambassador for us.
In Beijing our delegation visited the State Oceanic Administration, bringing New Zealand expertise to share in making significant headway in marine energy. Tianjin’s Green-Collar Low Carbon Innovation Park fosters sustainable manufacturing of solar panels and low energy lighting. The Formary, a young Wellington company, will soon be using rice stalk waste in a new fabric, rather than it being burnt and adding to air pollution.
Cultural exchanges such as the Xiamen troupe performing in Wellington’s Chinese New Year are valuable. Our open democracy, their ancient civilisations, their scale and our innovation can produce new forms of environmental and economic success.
OUR economy and our environment: some see these two crucial elements of our city’s well-being as contradictory. While unthinking exploitation of natural resources can pillage our planet, there are many examples of positive businesses taking a sustainable path.
Nationally, New Zealand has examples of algae being turned into aviation fuel, wood pellets for clean household heating and well-sited windfarms producing competitive renewable energy. At a population of 4.2 million, and with some imports essential, e.g. computers, we need to look at increasing our export earnings per capita.
Part of the answer is to focus on Wellington’s growing weightless economy - including financial services, IT and creative film and gaming products. Distance learning is a good complement to incoming overseas students - both senior secondary to tertiary.
Having been to mainland China once last year and Hong Kong in January and observed it myself, the Chinese are making significant steps, despite issues of desertification, water shortage and pollution. All the mopeds I saw were electric rather than the old two-strokes, there were fast trains, millions of trees being planted. Public concern on air and water is loud and clear, certainly to local government.
The letter from Chris Robertson (Write On, February 15) is an opportunity to comment about the opportunities that China presents.
I visited Hong Kong as a guest of their state administration, and they provided a fascinating week’s agenda including meetings with their metro rail company, environmental policy and urban planning. For example, they’ve decided no more of Victoria Harbour will be reclaimed, housing development is concentrated at transport nodes and 40% of their land area is country park. WOW was a sell-out success and is a great cultural ambassador for us.
In Beijing our delegation visited the State Oceanic Administration, bringing New Zealand expertise to share in making significant headway in marine energy. Tianjin’s Green-Collar Low Carbon Innovation Park fosters sustainable manufacturing of solar panels and low energy lighting. The Formary, a young Wellington company, will soon be using rice stalk waste in a new fabric, rather than it being burnt and adding to air pollution.
Cultural exchanges such as the Xiamen troupe performing in Wellington’s Chinese New Year are valuable. Our open democracy, their ancient civilisations, their scale and our innovation can produce new forms of environmental and economic success.
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