Along with the coming of the 21st century, the global community is increasingly concerned about environmental problems. The public is more conscious of the importance of environmental protection. A small place with a disproportionately large population, Hong Kong has an enormous task in its hands to tackle pollution properly, e.g., sewage, solid waste, air pollutants and noise. In recent years, the HKSAR government has taken into consideration the environmental impacts when it comes to town planning and law formulation. The industrial and commercial sectors not only focus on product manufacturing and service provision but also recognise the need to take into account the environmental factors, and are therefore beginning to introduce advanced technologies that are cleaner and utilise resources more efficiently. Subsequently, a relatively new field with great potential for development, Environmental Engineering, has emerged.
The scope of environmental engineering is wide indeed. It includes all the construction and facility works that aim to promote public health, efficient use of natural resources, environmental improvement and nature conservation, and the research, operation and maintenance of the relevant equipment. Environmental engineers and other relevant personnel have to use their expertise and experience to perform planning, design, management and supervisory duties to ensure the proper completion and effective operation of the work. Besides, they have to perform assessments on environmental management and pollution control in order to provide professional advice on such matters.