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CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia (Gaia) held a forum entitled ‘Environmental Impact Assessment Report on the Third Runway—What’s Next?’ at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) today (22 August).  The forum, under the Environment and Climate Change Forum Series, gathered experts from different background to discuss and share their insights on the proposed expansion of the Hong Kong International Airport into a three-runway system.  About 100 participants from public or private sectors, local schools and tertiary institutions took part in the event. 

Mr Wilson Fung, Executive Director, Corporate Development of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), was the keynote speaker.  Other guest speakers included Dr Law Cheung-kwok, Director of Policy, Aviation Policy and Research Centre at CUHK, Mr Peter Lee, General Manager, Environment, Projects, of AAHK, Mr Simon Ng, Chief Research Officer of Civic Exchange, and Prof. Steve Yim, Assistant Professor of the Department of Geography and Resource Management at CUHK.  The forum was chaired by Prof. Amos Tai, Assistant Professor of the Earth System Science Programme at CUHK. 

Mr Wilson Fung possesses over 20 years of experience in public administration and is familiar with the aviation industry as well as the operation of the airport.  At the forum, Mr Fung said, ‘the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on expanding the airport into three-runway system (3RS) has been painstakingly and professionally done, meeting fully the requirements of the EIA study brief and the EIA Ordinance Technical Memorandum.  AAHK will use our best endeavours to address the concerns of the Advisory Council on the Environment on the EIA report and answer any queries they may have.  Beyond the EIA, AAHK has also taken an extra step to conduct a carbon emission study of 3RS.  Results demonstrate that the economic benefit of the 3RS far outweighs the carbon cost.’  The guest speakers also exchanged views on a variety of aspects, including the impact on public health; long-term balance among environmental, economic and social costs; alternatives to increase the efficiency of the airport; mitigation measures such as single engine taxiing, and other post-works remedial measures, etc.  The breadth and depth of information shared by the speakers facilitated a more comprehensive understanding and discussion of the project. 

During the Question and Answer session, participants raised questions on the proposed expansion of the airport, and had a deeper conversation with the speakers on the various aspects of the topic.

CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia

CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia is a 5-year community engagement programme launched in 2012 by CUHK, with a generous donation of HK$70 million by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.  Committed to paving a sustainable future for Hong Kong, the programme aims at promoting environmental conservation and sustainability in local communities, through public education and carbon reduction partnerships with schools and non-governmental organizations. 

In order to draw on collective wisdom and to encourage active public participation in tackling various environmental issues, CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia has organized the ‘Environment and Climate Change Forum Series’ to invite experts and practitioners from different fields, as well as members of the public to look into different perspectives of environmental challenges and impacts of climate change, and to develop possible solutions. 

The Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change (MoCC) maintained by Gaia is open for free to the public.  The MoCC showcases the ‘Three Poles’ (the North Pole, the South Pole and Mount Everest) collection of the renowned Hong Kong explorer Dr Rebecca Lee, innovative research in environment, energy and sustainability initiated by CUHK, and the Jockey Club’s initiatives that promote green living in the community. 

More details of the CUHK Jockey Club Initiative Gaia can be found at www.cuhk.edu.hk/gaia.