Maritime park = Factory !!!

Like most Indians, I have staunchly believe that Indian politicians are the greediest and most short-sighted of all. But boy, do we have tough competition!

Hong Kong's energy major CLP Power wants to build an LNG terminal in Sokos Islands - a place designated in 2003 as a marine park by the government. It is the the only location where the Chinese White Dolphin and the Finless Porpoise coexist in local waters, says WWF. Unfortunately, it is also the only place that CLP Power wishes to build its terminal at.

Now I can understand why a corporation, in tradition of all the energy companies behind it, will care little for trivialities such as environmental impact. Its desire has probably all to do with costs and profits, and people be damned. But what was the government thinking when it figured that the project - the building of a factory in an area rich in marine life - would have "insignificant" ecological impact on marine life? Really? You're telling me that you'll pump in huge amounts of hot water day after day for years on end into the surrounding waters - which is how energy plants including this one work - and it won't effect the organisms living in the area? That having a noisy factory next door, and before that, the cacophony of construction, will not impact the habitat of resident animals? All this, after you've already allowed other developments nearby, such as the building of an airport. which are bound to add on to a cumulative effect?

From everything I've ever learnt of ecosystems, even small variations in temperatures snowball into big results. And anyone who thinks that a mere HK$100 million will set things right is an idiot, or bought out, or worst of all - someone who believes that government has a greater duty to business that to citizens.

I guess we won't need China to kill what Hong Kong was.


Update, Sep 2008: The CLP factory plan is shelved! The Hong Kong government and China signed a natural gas supply agreement which killed the economics behind the factory, hence the decision. I like to believe the public and media uproar had something to do with the government's initiative. In any case, a case of all's well that ends well!