Hosted by the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the 2012 Macao International Environmental Protection and Exhibition Forum 2012 (2012MIECF) officially opened today (March 29). The Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, together with other officiating guests, presided over the respective lighting ceremony. Several keynote speakers delivered their speeches on the current direction and strategy for the development of the environmental protection in China, and, in line with the current world trend, to increase the dialogue and contact with other countries, to jointly promote a green economy. In his keynote speech, Mr. Wan Gang, Vice Chairman of the 11th National Committee of the People´s Political Consultative Conference and Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People´s Republic of China said that the industrial revolution was a great step forward for mankind, but was now facing unprecedented challenges. China, a developing country, is encountering a series of environmental problems, while pursuing the development path. He said that the Central Government of the People´s Republic of China has stressed the need to get an in-depth knowledge on the current development situation, in China as well as abroad, in order to achieve a scientific development, through restructuring in the development model, while promoting a development that covers all areas and is at the same time coordinated and sustainable, so as to develop a green economy through technology innovation. He stressed that the environmental industry, being one of the principal components of the green economy, has been designated by the Chinese government as one of the seven strategic emerging industries, and therefore priorities will be given for its development. Regarding the development of the economy and technology by the Macao SAR Government, Mr. Wan Gang said that, under the framework of the Agreement on Establishing a Technological Co-operation Committee by Mainland China and Macao signed between the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC and the Macao SAR, the two territories will co-operate in four sectors, namely, traditional Chinese medicine, information technology, energy conservation and environmental protection as well as popular science. He said that, at the end of 2010, the Ministry of Science and Technology has officially approved the setting up of two partner laboratories of State Key Laboratories in Macao. That the two territories also co-operate in the training of talents from the Portuguese-speaking countries in technology management, to avail of the advantages offered by Macao, this being also an important measure for the training of talents in the scientific and technological field for the country. Dr. Wan said that in July 2010, in Beijing, the Scientific and Technologic Division of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC has signed with the Macao Environmental Protection Bureau of a Letter of Intent on the Study of Mainland and Macao Energy Efficiency and Environmental Protection Technological Co-operation, to reinforce the co-operation between the two territories, especially in the environmental field. At the same time, Minister Wan Gang hope that Mainland China and Macao will continue to co-operate in environmental protection, so that, under the 12th 5-Year Plan of the PRC, the co-operation scope could be widened, thus contributing to the green development of Macao. In his keynote speech, Mr. Zhao Penggao, Deputy Director General, Department of Resources Conservation and Environment Protection, National development and Reform Commission of the PRC, representing Mr. Xie Zhenhua, Vice Chairman of National Development and Reform Commission of the PRC said that the development of low carbon environment has already become a common idea of the international community and that strengthened international communications, and co-operation and technology exchange will benefit all countries, as this will lead for the stable growth of the economy, through energy saving and environmental protection. In Mr. Zhao´s opinion,as MIECF has an important and far-reaching significance by inviting different countries to explore issues concerning environmental protection and showcase latest advanced technologies in the environmental field . He said that China, while undergoing industrialization, urbanization and agricultural development, is facing challenges brought by its economic development, in particular in the improvement of the quality of life for the general public, environmental protection and climate changes. China is at present accelerating the restructuring of its economic development mode. He added that such restructuring would be innovative and comprehensive, and will be realized through improvement to the economic structure, higher efficiency and promotion of the well-being of the community. He added that experience in China and abroad has shown that energy conservation and environmental protection will lead to advancement in the economic restructuring, given that development will create market demand and provide a new impetus. Mr.. Zhao added that, in such case, companies could elevate the level of technology, improve operation efficiency and, for the people, it may bring improvement to the environment and improve the quality of the life. This is also a way for China to crack the resources and environment bottleneck, in the pursuit of sustainable development. The third speaker, Ms. Song Xiaozhi, Deputy Director General of Department of International Co-operation and deputy Director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, Office of Environmental Protection of the PRC, representing Mr. Zhou Shengxian, Minister of Environmental Protection of the PRC, said that the State Council of the PRC has convened two ordinary meetings last year, and four resolutions were passed, as follows: a) to ratify the environmental protection planning under the 12th 5-Year Plan of the PRC; b) promulgation of "Opinions Regarding the Reinforcement of Key Works in the Field of Environmental Protection"; c) approval for the revision of the air quality standard, to include PM2.5 in the monitoring list; and d) to convene the 7th National Environmental Conference. She said that, in accordance with the above important speech made by Vice Premier Li Keqiang, during the period covering the 12th 5-Year Plan, it is necessary to complete four missions and three major tasks as follows: 1) based on the active exploration of new environmental protection system, to enrich and improve the theories of environmental protection; 2) modify the Environmental Protection Law, to build a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework with regards to environmental protection; 3) rationalize and improve the environmental protection functions and organization systems; and 4) endeavour to substantially improve the quality of the environment. How to improve the environment is an eternal theme, this being the starting point and also the final goal. At present, we should focus on improving air, water, soil and other environmental quality standards, and gradually ensure the consistency of the monitoring system with the general public. The three main tasks are: 1. to improve the level of environment protection supervision and management, 2. to solve the outstanding environmental issues that affects a scientific development and causes damages to the health of the masses and 3. to reform the institutional mechanisms and introduce innovations to the environmental protection work. She said that over the last few years, China has launched a series of measures to develop a green, low-carbon and circular economy, through, principally, by making huge investments in the green industry, and the setting-up of emerging strategic industries for the production of new energies and biotechnology, and carry out pilot low carbon economy projects, in accordance with the principle "reduction, reutilization and transformation" of resources, by developing and applying appropriate advanced technologies.
