HKU Bulletin May 2009 (Vol. 10 No. 2)

34 centres and modifying the landscape with concrete paths and the like. “For me, I would like to see things preserved in a more pristine manner. Nature is best left untouched. This is a di ff icul t argument to make in Hong Kong. It takes tens of millions of years for the landscape to become what it is and we shouldn’t change nature to suit people by building an escalator or road at picturesque places. I strongly believe there should still be places in Hong Kong that are difficult or even impossible to get to.” general public, including a series at the Science Museum in May titled Hong Kong Geology 360 , about such topics as Hong Kong’s mineral resources, mining history, landscape and slope stability. “The aim is to br ing geology to the public and make people aware of the need to preserve Hong Kong’s geological heritage. It is under threat from construction and tourism,” he says. “A l o t o f t imes peop l e don ’ t understand the di fference between p r e s e r v a t i o n a n d c o n s e r v a t i o n . Conservation is managed development and that can involve theme parks, visitor despises the idea of global warming,” he says. And yet, his heartfelt desire to venture to Iceland and Greenland was not without environmental impacts. Did he feel like an intruder? “Yes,” he admits. “That’s why for some places, it’s best to visit through photos or documentaries. And if you do visit, don’t expect them to modify the land for you.” It is a message he would like Hong Kong to heed. Chan has spoken to schools and on radio and given seminars and talks to learned societies and the 35 PEOPLE scientists often talk in a very technical manner and sometimes it’s inscrutable. That’s why this partnership with the media works very well. They have the gift to explain complex things in simple terms and they can relate to the general audience,” Chan says. The trip was part of his ongoing effort to promote public awareness of geological heritage and encourage preservation of sites and their environments. It is a message that is being eroded even in these remote places. In Greenland, for example, people live a comfortable, modernized life, but are paying a price through lost traditions and growing piles of waste. “Greenland is a land with no soil. The rubbish that can’t be burned, like old computers, plastic waste and other non- combustibles, is just left out in the open on the ground. That’s what modernization has brought there,” Chan says. Greenlanders have an unusual take on global warming, too – they welcome it because they believe it will bring farming to their land. “This was unexpected. What do you say? Everyone else in the world Getting the Green Message Across Geologist Chan Lung Sang partners with TV programmes and celebrities to reach out to the public. T o visit Iceland and Greenland is a ‘sacred imperat i ve’ for geologists, according to Earth Sciences Professor Chan Lung Sang. To do so with TVB stars and a film crew on hand is to achieve that goal with a touch of glamour rarely seen in geological circles. Chan was invited to be the resident expert on a TVB documentary, ‘Vanishing Glacier: The Arctic Circle’ in the company of actor Sammul Chan Kin Fung, actress- singer Bernice Liu and TVB general manager Stephen Chan Chi Wan. They travel led to volcanic Iceland and stood on a plain where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet , then ventured to the barren Greenland mass where they were treated to a daily northern lights show. “There’s a lot of emphasis on science outreach these days and making science more accessible and visible. But we Professor Chan Lung Sang on his travels