In his October Policy Address, Tung Chee-hwa emphasised the need to preserve the SAR's environment, admitting that planning for its protection had not kept pace with changing circumstances. In strong terms, he promised environmental issues would be at the heart of future policy-making. The strength of that commitment can now be tested. If the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation gets permission for a rail link between Sheung Shui and Lok Ma Chau, it will cut through the wetland habitat of at least 12 rare or endangered species of bird, and will irrevocably alter - and most likely destroy - the ecological balance of the area. Green groups are opposing the proposed route. If the Government is genuine in its desire to protect what remains of Hong Kong's wild places, it will respond by asking the planners to go back to the drawing board to find a less damaging route. That will inevitably involve extra cost and delay, but those factors should not deter the architects of this new-found environmental consciousness. There will always be a short-term financial burden involved in taking the ecological approach. But there will be a greater cost in quality of life if the administration continues to put monetary considerations first. In the past, the Government justified its lack of green policies by claiming taxpayers were not prepared to pay for projects like recycling. It has yet to prove this is the case. The link between health problems and air pollution first raised public awareness. Now support for ecology groups grows daily. If people are informed, told why they are asked to pay a little extra and what improvements it will bring, they may prove more than willing to shoulder the cost. Life in a spreading concrete jungle with toxic air and disappearing wildlife is hardly an attractive alternative.
