Balancing Economic Development and Environmental Protection in Macau Based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Macau is facing problems on how to moderately diversify its economy, improving its air quality, water quality, and waste management, and improving its biodiversity. The research aim is to investigate and propose how Macau can achieve moderate economic diversification, environmental protection, ecological protection and preservation in line with sustainable development goal 8, 9, 12, 13, and 15.
Using documentary analysis, extensive literature review, and analyzing of Macau situation, the following findings are suggested:
- Research and development using the university institutions on areas ranging from hospitality and tourism management, telecommunication engineering, electrical & electronic engineering, automation and control, computer science and engineering, transportation science and technology, nanoscience & nanotechnology, instrument science and technology, biomedical engineering, as well as relevant infrastructure, policy and financial support,
- Talent attraction for specialised industries with stringent requirements due to the limited capacity of Macau,
- Financial market development for financing, capital accumulation, and wealth management,
- Focus on tourism-related industry, then big data and technology leveraging Hengqin, and then financial industry for supporting,
- Better method to reduce air pollution through more energy efficient industrial facilities with less greenhouse gases emission,
- Better water quality and pollution management through water pollution management, water resource conservation, the development of environmentally friendly technologies to control water pollution,
- Polluter pay law such as Japan's Basic Environment Law, Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law,
- Producer’s responsibility law such as home appliance recycling law, containers and packaging recycling law, and
- A framework for biodiversity protection including a combination of legislative, technical, and community-based initiatives, as well as a comprehensive wildlife protection law.