The Department of Public and Social Administration (SA) at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is hosting the International Peer Review Conference on “China’s Provincial Environmental Performance Index” (China EPI) from 18 - 19 May to discuss the development of an environmental performance index in China and the application of scientific analysis in policy planning.

The EPI offers a composite index of current environmental protection performance, focusing on measurable outcomes in terms of air quality, water quality and quantity, waste sanitation, toxins, agriculture and land management, habitat and biodiversity, marine and coastal environment, forestry, climate change and energy, resource use efficiency and environmental governance.

CityU, in collaboration with the Yale Centre for Environmental Law & Policy (YCELP), the Centre for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) of Columbia University, and the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning (CAEP), has conducted a pilot research project to evaluate China’s provincial environmental performance.

In his opening remarks, Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Provost of CityU, expressed his sincere gratitude to Yale University and Columbia University, the originators of the EPI. He also thanked CAEP for the invitation and for holding this event. “This is an instrumental and crucial project for formulating environmental planning policy. CityU is fully committed to this project,” said Professor Ho.

Professor Hon S Chan, Head of SA, said the benefits brought by China EPI is not limited to China, but extend far beyond its borders and benefit the wider global environment. “This conference provides the opportunity to improve our understanding of EPI, and encourages communication between researchers and government officials,” said Professor Chan.

Dr Cao Dong, Director of the Strategic Planning Division of CAEP, said China EPI aimed to establish a system for all provinces in China to advance environmental protection. Professor Daniel Esty, Director of YCELP, introduced the environmental performance indicators as a set of benchmarking tools to manage the world in a better way.

The conference brought together government leaders, scholars and supranational organisations to exchange views on environmental performance indicator selection, data collection and monitoring, evaluation methods and the possible application of rigorous analysis in environmental management of provincial governments in China.