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To further strengthen enterprises’ business co-operation in the area of environmental protection, the first day of 2009 MIECF has been designated as the Green Business Co-operation Day by 2009 MIECF. The Green Business Co-operation Day aims at assisting enterprises to conduct business co-operation negotiations and promote projects as well as business co-operation. The activities in the Green Business Co-operation Day include “The Green Business Co-operation and Finance Symposium”, “The Enterprise Green Business Summit and Green Business Networking Cocktail Reception and Signing Ceremony”. The theme of the Green Business Co-operation Day is Gathering Unlimited Green Business Opportunities. The event is organised by China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, Macao Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania and European Union Business Information Programme. The event was officiated by Mr. Francis Tam, the Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR. Mr. Dong Songgen, the Vice Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, leaders of local and international trade/economic authorities and chambers of commerce also attended the activities of the Green Business Co-operation Day. The Green Business Co-operation and Finance Symposium At the Green Business Co-operation and Finance Symposium, senior management and experts from environmental, financial institutions/enterprises in various regions conducted an in-depth study and discussions in the current status and future development of the environmental industry. Speakers of the event included Mr. Michal Pastvinský, Director of Development and Project Cooperation Department of Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, Mr. Nigel Hall, Technical Adviser of Regional Office for the Pacific, European Investment Bank (EIB), Mr. Ethan Ji Win, Tzou, Vice-Chairman of Korea Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCCI), Chairman of Winfull Capital Korea Co., Ltd., Private Equity Fund Advisor of Myasset Investment Management Co., Ltd. and Mr. Stewart J. Ballard, Business Development Director (Asia) of Sindicatum Carbon Technology Limited. The Enterprise Green Business Summit Representatives of chambers of commerce and enterprises from Mainland China (Pan-Pearl River Delta Region) and various European countries attended the Summit to discuss environmental co-operation between enterprises. The event was held in the form of interactive discussion. Participants include Mr. João Marques da Cruz, Board Member of EDP Internacional, Dr. Dominic Orr, President and CEO of Aruba Networks Inc., Dr. Bernd Dallmann, Chief Executive of Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG, Mr. Rui Faria da Cunha, President of Belgian-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Douglas Woodring, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce ‘s Environmental Committee, Hong Kong, Mr. Fred Larsen, Chairman of the Board of Lamor Group and Mr. Edward W.C. Leung, Managing Partner and Founder of Secured Environment Company. Green Business Networking Cocktail Reception and Signing Ceremony The Green Business Networking Cocktail Reception and Signing Ceremony, another activity held under the Green Business Co-operation Day, was held at 5:30pm at the 2009 MIECF venue. The activities aimed at providing business communication and exchanges opportunities to further promote interactive co-operation among participating international enterprises and environmental sector. Mr. Francis Tam, Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR, officiated the event. The signing ceremony was also attended by leaders of local and international trade/economic authorities and chambers of commerce.
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Green and low-carbon emission industries are set to be the growth engines for economies worldwide amid the global warming crisis, said the experts from the financial sector today at the Green Business Co-operation and Finance Symposium, which is part of the ongoing 2009 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2009 MIECF). Advanced economies now regard the green industry as a new growth engine, with the market of new renewable growing up to 30 percent every year, and make every endeavor to tap the market, said Vice-Chairman of Korea Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCCI), Mr. Ethan Ji Win Tzou. Korea also plans to actively cope with climate changes and foster green industry projects in order to boost its national economic recovery. The government has launched 17 projects supported by fiscal spending in three sectors including the Green New Deal Project, according to Mr. Ji. He said that the Korean government projected that if these new growth engines bear successful fruits, the added values for 2018 of green industry would be approximately US$700 billion and the volume of exports would reach US$900 billion. Mr. Stewart J Ballard, Business Development Director (Asia) of Sindicatum Carbon Technology Limited, introduced the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) during the symposium. CDM allows industrialised countries to meet their emission reduction targets by paying for green house gas emission reduction in developing countries. A CER, or Certified Emissions Reductions, is issued by the CDM Executive Board to projects in developing countries to certify they have reduced green house gas emissions by one tonne of carbon dioxide per year. For example, if a project generates energy using wind power instead of burning coal, it can save 50 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. There it can claim 50 CERs (as one CER is equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide reduced). Developed countries buy CERs from developing countries under the CDM mechanism to help them achieve their Kyoto targets. Mr. Nigel Hall, Technical Adviser of Regional Office for the Pacific of European Investment Bank (EIB), said that EIB provided loans and financing services to environmental and renewable energy projects across the world. Through its Carbon Funds, EIB engages in Clean Development Mechanism and promotes participation of CDM by the related industries. Mr. Michal Pastvinský, Director of the Development and Project Cooperation Department of the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, also took part in the symposium. 2009 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition Organizing Committee.
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On the eve of its 20th Anniversary, the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) will host the captioned international conference with the main theme “Establishing a Platform for Financial Cooperation and Promotion of Economic and Commercial Development”. It is hoped that a financial cooperation mechanism can be established subsequently whereby economic and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese speaking countries can be further enhanced. The move will certainly underline the function of the MSAR as the service platform for liaison between China and Portuguese speaking territories. Representatives from central banks and financial institutions of Portuguese speaking countries in four continents will make their addresses surrounding the main theme. Up-to-date, confirmation has been received from representatives of Portugal, Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste. To reinforce the effectiveness of this conference, AMCM has specially invited the Commercial Attachés of Chinese Embassies in the aforementioned countries to participate in the conference, whose presence will certainly of great help in our subsequent follow-up action in this respect. It is hoped that a financial cooperation mechanism between China and Portuguese speaking countries can be set up at an earlier date whereby economic and trade relationship can be further strengthened. The above mentioned conference will be held on 6 April 2009 from 9:30am to 6:30pm at the Lotus Room of Four Seasons Hotel. It will be officiated by the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr. Francis Tam, Ms. Gao Yan, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government, Mr. Lu Sumin, Special Envoy, Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Representatives of consulates of Portuguese speaking countries in Macao and commercial institutions in addition to decision makers of local financial institutions have been invited to attend the conference.
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The Government will step up regional economic cooperation, especially within the Pan Pearl River Delta, in order to achieve Macao’s long-term goal of economic diversification and sustainable growth. Speaking at the launch of the Green Business Co-operation Day held alongside the 2009 MIECF, Secretary for Economy and Finance Mr Francis Tam explained that the Government was also trying to ensure sustainable development by striving to foster service industries and emerging industries, including the green industry and the convention industry. By showcasing global eco-solutions and green technologies, the MIECF aims to promote technology transfer and nurture development of the environmental industry, he said. This year the MIECF has added new events such as the Green Business Co-operation Day in order to attract wider business participation and encourage partnership between local and international enterprises.
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Based on the Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the Macao Government will strive to work with its Guangdong and Hong Kong counterparts to deliver on policy initiatives towards a green and quality living area in the region. This pledge was made today by the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, in a speech at the opening of the 2009 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2009 MIECF). The environment and sustainable development have become urgent issues as regional climate change presents real threats to our environmental wellbeing and economic development, he added. He warned that the cost of inaction was too great and the threats to the environment could not be ignored. Mr Ho said that the 2009 MIECF served as a timely opportunity for addressing these threats, with enormous contributions from governments, experts and industry leaders worldwide. Despite the global economic downturn, actions on climate change should not be postponed because this is a time when challenges bring opportunities as nations across the world are advocating a green recovery through investment in environmental infrastructure and other green industries, noted the Chief Executive. Meanwhile he took the opportunity to thank the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Environmental Protection for supporting the 2009 MIECF, as well as the governments of the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region for co-organising the event.
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At the opening ceremony of 2009MIECF, officials from the National Development and Reform Commission, the State Environmental Protection Department and the Czech Republic government deliver speeches on specific topics about policy, results and prospects of environmental protection industry and energy-saving and emission reduction in China and the European Union. Mr. Han Yongwen, Secretary-General of National Development and Reform Commission, said in his speech that while China is resolute to cope with the international financial crisis and maintains steady economic growth, the Government attaches great importance to the development of a recycling economy, and will take further steps this year to promote the development of recycling economy. Mr. Han also pointed out that the recycling economy and energy-saving and emission reduction closely related, with the joint efforts at all levels throughout the country, the Chinese government takes comprehensive use of the following five measures: the "Energy-saving and Emission Reduction Actions for All Citizens", optimizing industrial structure, promoting energy-saving and emission reduction in major areas and key projects, improving the mechanisms of energy-saving and emission reduction system and making great efforts to develop green energy. In recent years, the work of energy-saving and emission reduction and environmental protection has achieved significant progress, he said. Subsequently, Mr. Yue Ruisheng, representative of Minister Zhou Shengxian of Ministry of Environmental Protection, and Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Department of Ministry of Environmental Protection, gave an introduction about the achievements of China’s environmental protection work in the past year. He noted that in the plan of implementation a 4 trillion RMB government investment for the next two years, which was part of the basket of plans for the Central Government this year to make full implementation of promoting stable and rapid economic development, the budget for energy-saving and emission reduction and ecological projects was about 210 billion RMB, which would provided a rare opportunity for the development of environmental protection. He hoped to see a group of advanced environmental protection technologies in 2009MIECF, which fitted the national conditions and current situation of China, and would be introduced into China at an appropriate time to further strengthen the work of pollution control and ecological protection. Dr. Peter J. Kalas, the head of official delegation of the Czech Republic which is on the Rotating EU presidency (January to June, 2009), the Czech Republic Prime Minister's Advisor, former Minister of Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic, said he believed that the activities in this year's 2009MIECF, as well as the time to discuss questions on energy and global warming, are of great significance to countries all over the world. He said in his keynote speech about the EU's policy and development direction of environmental protection industry. As global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, he said, we must find the appropriate technology to separate the relationship of economic growth and gas emissions growth apart from growth of energy consumption, and to transfer this technology to the high-energy emission countries, which will not only deal with the energy crisis, protect the ecological environment, but also help to develop huge business opportunities.
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The Environment Council has organised the Macao Green Hotel Award Scheme since 2007, which is designed to demonstrate the importance of environmental management, and honour hotels that have committed to environmental management. As environmental awareness and expectations of customers has been rising recently, it makes business sense for the hotel industry to adopt the “Green Hotel” model in their daily operation. It does not only save operational cost through resource conservation, but also further improves customer satisfaction. This illustrates a win-win situation for the environment as well as the community. Westin runs sewage treatment plant The Westin Resort Macau, a recipient of the 2007 Green Hotel Award, told media today that it had introduced a wide range of measures to cut energy and emission in order to protect the environment. According to the hotel, it was the first of its kind in Macao to be built with a sewage treatment plant to process all the wastewater generated from both the hotel and the golf club. It was built, with an estimated MOP$10 million, mainly to protect the nearby shorelines from being polluted. Since the hotel’s opening in 1993, the plant had processed an average of 130,000 cubic meter of effluent annually, at a yearly cost of approximately MOP$1 million. As part of the environmental program, the recycled water from the plant is used to water the hotel landscaping and that of the golf course, thus reducing the need for additional water consumption. Moreover, the hotel had introduced an energy management program since 1995 to reduce its energy consumption. According to an energy consultancy responsible for monitoring and recording all affecting factors such as hotel occupancy, food covers, laundry production, and ambient conditions, it was estimated that the resort had avoided 18,000 tones of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere from 1995 to the present, which equates to approximately MOP$19 million of energy savings. The hotel’s emission-cutting measures included recovering heat from steam returns, and retrieving cold exhaust air, using energy-efficient lightings, and among many others. The management of the hotel said that they would continue to adopt more measures to cut energy consumption and operate the resort in an even more environmental way. The goal this year is to cut 5% of energy consumption than that in 2008, said Mr. Romulo Z. Estrada, the resort’s director of engineering. Other winners of the Macao Green Hotel Award 2007 were Hotel Beverly Plaza, Mandarin Oriental, Macau, Holiday Inn Macau, Riviera Hotel Macau, Metropole Hotel, Emperor Hotel and Pousada de Mong - Há of the Institute For Tourism Studies. 2009 MIECF opens on Thursday Should you require more information on environmental protection and respective business opportunities, please participate in the 2009 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum and Exhibition, which is to be opened on Thursday (2nd April). Please contact the 2009 MIECF Secretariat at: Telephone: 853-8798 9675, Fax: 853-2872 8213, Email: info@macaomiecf.com, or visit the official website: www.macaomiecf.com for details. (Some information of the press release is provided by the Westin Resort Macau)
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The "2009 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition” (2009MIECF) will be held at the Macao Venetian Resort from 2nd to 4th of April. The Chief Executive, Mr. Edmund Ho Hau Wah, will preside over the opening ceremony and officials from China and European Union will deliver keynote speeches. 2009MIECF is organised by the Macao SAR Government and co-organized by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and the Environment Council. The event will gather distinguished officials, experts and scholars in the field of environmental protection to discuss the latest green issues, while the exhibition will attract business executives from various countries and regions, including Mainland China, Europe and the United States, to get green business opportunities. The event will draw some 230 delegations, with more than 1400 representatives, from different countries and regions. The 2009MIECF has designated the 2nd of April as the Green Business Co-operation Day. Mr. Francis Tam Pak Yuen, the Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR, Mr. Dong Songgen, Vice Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), and heads of international and local economic and trade departments and chambers of commerce, will attend the launching ceremony. During the three-day event, green products and services presentations and business matching sessions will be held. Three symposiums, namely the Green Co-operation Gateway: Environment - Business – Connection “Extending Green Industry Network” Symposium, the Energy Saving, Emission Reduction and Carbon Trading Symposium and Natural Disaster Management Symposium, are scheduled on 3rd of April. In addition, in order to increase the public awareness on green industry and issues related to global warming, 2009MIECF has designated the 4th of April (Saturday) as a public open day. General public, companies and other interested parties may contact the secretariat of the 2009 Macao International Co-Operation Forum & Exhibition, (Telephone: 853-87989675, Fax: 853-28728213, Email: info@macaomiecf.com) or visit the official website at www.macaomiecf.com.
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The 58th Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual Meeting will take place in Macau between 18 and 21 April at the MGM Grand. The summit of the meeting will be a Business Forum under the topic “Discovering Opportunities in Tough Times” expected to be attended by more than 100 speakers and guests. Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) director, João Manuel Costa Antunes, and PATA president, Gregory Duffell, will participate in the PATA Annual Meeting and the Business Forum. Over twenty speakers were invited to address the Business Forum, due to take place on the 20th. Tourism industry personalities and academics of the Asia Pacific region are among the participants expected for the forum. Richard Chang, executive vice president and general manager of Visa International China will deliver an in-depth look at likely trends in consumer spending based on recent research by Visa. Other topics include: PATA Asia Pacific Tourism Forecast 2009-2011, Tapping Greater China Opportunities, eCommerce Strategies in Tough Times and Succeeding in Tough Times. PATA president Gregory Duffell, will present a summary of the Annual Meeting on the 21st. The organizers will invite international, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau media to report on the event. A media center will be set up at MGM Grand Macau. PATA, the most influential tourism association in the Asia Pacific, has nearly 100 government, state and city tourism body members, more than 55 airlines and cruise lines, and hundreds of travel industry companies. In addition, thousands of travel professionals belong to a global network of PATA chapters. In preparation for the Annual Meeting, PATA Macau Chapter held a meeting today (April 1st). The 2009 PATA Gold Awards Luncheon and the PATA Travel Mart 2009, due to take place in Hangzhou, among other topics, where also being discussed during the meeting.
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Three main forums will be held during MIECF 2009, namely the “Energy-Saving, Emission-Reduction and Carbon Trading Symposium”, “Natural Disaster Management Symposium” and “Green Co-operation Gateway: Environment - Business – Connection Extending Green Industry Network”. The first two will be held at 9:30 a.m. on April 3rd and the third one will be held 3:00pm on the same day. As abnormal weather conditions, caused by global warming, are becoming increasingly serious, the organizers have invited local and overseas officials, scholars and experts to share their experiences on environmental protection, as well as the occurrence of and response to natural disasters. The keynote speeches will inspire and provide a reference for the Macao and international environmental protection industry. During the Energy-Saving, Emission-Reduction and Carbon Trading Symposium, Mr. He Bingguang, Deputy Director of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection Division of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Magnus Gislev, First Secretary (Environment) of European Commission Delegation in Beijing, Mr. Li Hui, Deputy Director of Guangdong Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau, Ms. Marie-Hélène Fandel, Policy Analyst of European Policy Centre, Prof. António Gonçalves Henriques, Director-General of Portuguese Environment Agency of the Ministry for Environment, Ms. Katherine Choi, Principal Assistant Secretary (Energy) of Environment Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR, Mr. Arnaldo Ernesto dos Santos, Director of Office for the Development of the Energy Sector of the Macao SAR, and Mr. Jon Price, Managing Director of Climate Strategies, will introduce the policies, effectiveness and expectations regarding energy-saving and emission-reduction initiatives, as well as carbon-emissions trading, energy-usage and waste treatment, along with other related issues affecting Mainland China, the European Union, Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao. During the Natural Disaster Management Symposium, Prof. Wang Xianfang and Prof. Wu Xiao Ming of the Scientific Research Institute of Pearl River Water will present the “Suggestions on Macao Water Risk Analysis and Studies”; Prof. Nie Yongfeng of Department of Environmental Science and Engineering of Tsinghua University –will present their research results on “Post-Disaster Solid Waste in Earthquake-stricken Areas of Sichuan”, along with related studies on earthquake in China such as the “The Chain Disaster Research and Forecast in China” by Mr. Gao Jianguo of the Institute of Geology of China Earthquake Administration, and “Environmental Protection Emergency Countermeasures after Earthquake” by Mr. Ye Hong of Sichuan Provincial Environmental Protection Institute of Science and Technology. Other overseas scholars participating in the symposiums are Prof. Milan Konečný of Masaryk University, Prof. Raphael P.M. Lotilla of the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), Mr. Martin Parr of MPCEE. They will speak on topics such as “Ubiquitous Mapping for Early Warning and Emergency Management: How to Deliver Information to Individuals”, “Integrated Coastal Management as a Framework for Natural Hazard Management” and “Contingency Plans & Contingency Planning: Planning for the Unthinkable”. Those interested in participating in the symposiums or wish to know more may contact the secretariat of the 2009 Macao International Co-Operation Forum & Exhibition (Tel: 8798 9675) or visit the official website: www.macaomiecf.com.
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