The Environment Basis Law paving the way forward for green policies, dates back to 1991 and was signed by the then government head, Murteira Nabo.
There’s been almost no legislative development since then apart from a few technical documents and an administrative regulations last year, which altered the limitations on air pollution emissions for motorcycles and banned the importation of two-speed bikes.
Despite the fact that since January last year Macau has been signed on to the Kyoto Protocol, little has moved on, apart from the updating of the rules on the importation of harmful hydro-cloro-fluorcarbons which had remained unaltered since 1995.

Clinging to the past

The MSAR is covered by international conventions and treaties signed by China, but little has been done to put them into effect. Even the dispositions of the Environmental Basis Law have not been regulated.
Another area of concern is environmental impact studies as the law underlines: “The plans, projects, works and actions that may affect the environment, the health and the quality of living of the population…should be accompanied by an environmental impact study”.
This tool should be regulated by laws which have yet to see the light of day.
None of this seems to worry the local authorities, however it has already forced a direct intervention by Beijing when it disagreed with the MSAR’s proposal for the construction of an underwater tunnel linking Macau to Taipa, because it deemed its environmental impact to be too high.
The Macau government has said it will conduct environmental impact studies but only after it takes the city’s special circumstances into account, which sounds ominous for green policies.

Reading the signs

The lack of studies is already having an impact. Landfills and casinos on the Cotai strip are affecting the migratory birds that make the territory’s humid zones their home during the winter months.
The survival of the black-beaked spoonbill may actually be endangered, according to some environmentalists. This bird is on the list of animals at risk of extinction – in 2003 there were only 1,069 left.
Under the Environment Basis Law, the chief executive should submit a report on the Status of the Environment to the Legislative Assembly every year.
The document is prepared annually by the Environment Council – which was due to be replaced by the newly created Environment Protection Department at the end of last month and even there, the lack of legislation has been mentioned.
But so far, little concrete progress has been made and one main problem is the lack of incentives for companies to adopt green processes.