GESC1160: Environmental Problems in Hong Kong (2011/12)
First Term Course
Meeting Place: TCW LT2
Meeting Time:
F8-10 (3:30 – 6:15 pm)
Course Convenor: Prof. C.K. Wong (Department of Biology)
Tel: 2609 6771
Email: chongkimwong@cuhk.edu.hk
Course Schedule:
Weeks
Topics
Teachers
1
Sept 9
Sustainable Development
Prof. KM Chan
2
Sept 16
Climate Change and Energy Policy
Prof. KM Chan
3
Sept 23
Air Pollution and its Health Impacts
Prof. KM Chan
4
Sept 30
Zero Waste
Prof. KM Chan
5
Oct 7
Field trips : EMSD Headquarter OR
SENT Landfill
6
Oct 14
HK’s Marine Environment
Prof. CK Wong
7
Oct 21
HK’s Sewage Strategies
Prof. CK Wong
8
Oct 28
Field trips : Kadoorie Farm OR
Shatin Sewage Treatment Plant
9
Nov 4
HK’s Role in Protecting Endangered Species
Prof. CK Wong
10
Nov 11
HK’s Marine Parks
Prof. P. Ang
11
Nov 18
Poster presentations
12
Nov 25
Poster presentations
13
Dec 2
Poster presentations
Evaluations:
Term paper
25%
Field trip & Poster presentation (group) 25%
Final examination
50%
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Field trips
Each student must participate in at least one field trip. Please book your trip on-line.
1. EMSD Headquarter
- 7/10/2011 (Fri.) 4:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
- Quota: ~30
2. Shatin Sewage Treatment Plant
- 28/10/2011 (Fri.) 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Quota: 25
3. Kadoorie Farm
- 28/10/2011 (Fri.) 2:00 pm – 4:30 p.m.
- Quota: ~35
4. SENT Landfill
- 7/10/2011 (Fri.) afternoon
- Quota: ~35 (including teachers)
Post-Field trip poster presentation
Students will work in groups of 3 to 5 and prepare a poster for presentation. Students who join the
field trip on Oct 7 will present on Nov 18 or Nov 25. Students who join the field trip on Oct 28 will
present on Nov 25 or Dec 2. Students in the same group should be from different majors.
Each group must present a poster on a topic related to their field trip. As examples, students who
visited the landfill site can present a poster comparing the use of landfills in Asian countries or
relationship between landfills and land use in Hong Kong. Students who visited the sewage
treatment plant can present a poster on the cost and benefits of sewage treatment strategies.
Make sure the following instructions are followed:
1. Join a group of 4-5 students after the field trip. Submit the names of your group members
and your choice of presentation date through the course website not more than 1 week after
you field trip. Students who have not grouped after 1 week will be assigned to groups with
the fewest students.
2. Work on the poster early. Each group must submit their poster in the form of an electronic
file via the course website at least 1 day before the presentation. 3 marks will be taken off
group that fail to submit their poster.
3. Each group is responsible to print their own poster. Poster should be at least 1m long and
0.6 m wide. 3 marks will be taken off posters smaller than this size.
4. Each poster presentation day will be divided into two sessions. Groups will be assigned to a
session. You must attend the session your group is assigned to. Arrive at the lecture room
at least 15 min before your presentation session and mount your posters. Each group will
then have 5 min to present their poster. Use this time to tell the audience about the main
theme of your poster. Do not just read from the poster! Ideally, all members of the group
should have the opportunity to say a few words. A 5 min discussion will follow the
presentation. All members of the group must be present at the poster presentation and
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participate in this discussion. Each poster will be marked by the instructors as well as by the
other students.
5. Marking scheme:
Quality of poster (content, data, use of references, use of graphics etc.)
Presentation (team work, clarity etc.)
Discussion (team work, ability to lead discussions and answer questions)
8%
9%
8%
Suggestions about Poster presentations
1. The poster should be simple, but still contains sufficient information to convey the essence of the
study. Make full use of the space and use lettering that can be easily read from about 1.5 m away.
2. Use large lettering for the Title and remember to include the names/student ID of all students
involved in the presentation.
3. Use simple and clear sub-headings to organize your poster. Do not use too many words.
Diagrams and tables should be labeled and kept to a minimum. Simple diagrams and figures are
always easier to read than tables.
4. Ensure that the major references used in preparing the poster are cited properly.
5. In general, a good poster should include 20-30% text, 40-50% graphics/pictures and at least 2030% empty space. Don’t cover your entire poster with words!
6. Check your posters carefully for mistakes and legibility.
Term Paper
Each student must submit a term paper. The term paper can be written in either English or Chinese.
Suggested topics:
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Use specific examples to explain how Hong Kong’s environment has been impacted by the
demand for housing.
The Government of the HKSAR has implemented various policies to control worsening air
pollution problems. Discuss the effectiveness and shortcomings of some of these policies.
Write an essay on the potential impacts of air pollution on the long term economic
development of Hong Kong
Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam kuen believes that HK has to build more incinerators to
deal with solid waste. Do you agree? Why?
Some experts believe that HK’s Air Quality Objectives are out dated and do not protect public
health. Do you agree? Why?
Some experts believe that HK’s Water Quality Objectives are out dated and do not protect our
marine environment. Do you agree? Why?
Explain how the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau link and expansion of the
third runway in CLK airport could lead to long-term degradation of Hong Kong’s marine
environment.
Write an essay on the potential impacts of climate change for people in HK.
What are the pros and cons of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by increasing nuclear power
supply.
The Government of the HKSAR has used various strategies to reduce emissions from
vehicles. Use the ‘Polluters Pays Principle’ to discuss the pros and cons of these strategies?
China imposes an annual 3-month fishing ban in the South China Sea. Use examples from
other countries to discuss the effectiveness of fishing ban on marine conservation. Do you
think the fishing ban should be expanded to HK waters? Why?
Some people in HK believe that politics has reduced the government’s ability to tackle major
environmental issues. Use specific examples to explain why you agree/disagree with this.
Conduct a survey of Hong Kong people’s attitude towards the government’s environmental
policies or specific environmental issues. (Group Project: students should contact Prof. KM
Chan)
Discuss the implementation of producers’ responsibility schemes in Hong Kong.
Why household-charging scheme is important for waste reduction?
Do you agree with making artificial beach at Lung Mei and discuss its problems associated
with the environmental impact assessment ordinance
Do you agree with the current policy of Ocean Park to obtain wildlife animals for education
purposes??
Is poverty the greatest cause of environmental degradation? How should we help those below
poverty line to save the environment?
What is social impact assessment? How are we going to use social impact assessment to help
urban renewal in Hong Kong?
Discuss the problems we have with the environmental impact assessment ordinance and the
rule of Laws for environmental protection in Hong Kong.
ANY OTHER RELATED AND APPROVED TOPICS.
Suggested format for the essay:
1) Introduction – Outline the objective(s) of the essay. State the historical background and
significance of the topic. State the question and identify the problems; explain why the topic
you choose is important and how you are going to address the issue.
2) Use facts and data to support your point of view or the Government's point of view. Use
data to explain why one solution is better or more viable than the other. Data can be
presented in either tables or figures. Be ware of data interpretation.
3) Discussion - State your conclusion(s). List your recommendations. Explain why your
proposals may represent an improvement over what the Government is suggesting or doing.
4) Provide the source(s) of your data or information. Cite the references you used in a proper
manner, avoid newspaper, and do not cut and paste copyright materials. Remember to cite
the sources/references even if you are using a figure/picture/table from a
publication/website.
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According to University regulations, student must first submit the assignment to VeriGuide
system as soft copies for the purpose of checking for possible plagiarism. A copy of the
assignment in pdf format, together with a signed copy of the Academic Honesty Declaration
Statement, must then be submitted to the moodle site of this course on or before 5 pm,
December 9, 2011.
* According to University regulations, all identified cases of plagiarism will be sent directly
to disciplinary committee for investigation.
AN EXAMPLE OF TERM PAPER FORMAT WILL BE UPLOADED TO THE MOODLE SITE
FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND REFERENCE
Marks will be deducted from late submissions (1 marks per day, including Saturday and Sundays).
This essay must represent individual work, not the combined effort of a group of students.
Because it makes up 25% of the course, it must represent a substantial amount of work. The text
of the essay should cover at least 6-8 pages of double-spaced printing (~ 2,000 words), with
additional figures, tables, appendixes, and references.
References:
Visit Government websites or internet resources from green groups or think tank (e.g. Civic
Exchange) for information, consultancy reports, and consultation papers.
Miller, G.T. & Spoolman, S.E. (2009). Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections and
Solutions, 16 th ed., Thomson Brooks/Cole, Belmont, California. (UL Reserve 4 hours GE105 .M547 2009)
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