SCMP Reducing highly toxic emissions from ships must be a key part of the government’s clean-air strategy. Right now, shipping emissions are regarded as a problem that can wait. Officials have not given this a higher priority because they take a total-quantity approach rather than a public health one. Total emissions from power plants and [...]
Posts under ‘Local’
A different route
SCMP Hong Kong needs to clean up its buses and goods vehicles. Our roadside pollution is extremely bad and these fleets are a large part of the problem. There is no disagreement about this; the debate is over how to do it. The environment minister has suggested the government might pay for new buses to [...]
Japan trip to study waste ‘is garbage’ – Lawmakers’ visit to incinerators criticised
Cheung Chi-fai, SCMP A group of 26 politicians will visit Japan with the environment chief and his officials this month to inspect waste-incineration plants in what one critic branded a “brainwashing” exercise to persuade them to accept such facilities in their areas. The trip, partially paid for by the Environmental Protection Department, will host members [...]
Toxic mix
Christine Loh – SCMP Hong Kong will be stuck with a large number of ageing, dirty buses for at least another decade It is good to see that the focus of debate on the government’s proposed air quality objectives and clean-up measures is fixed firmly on reducing roadside pollution. It’s equally pleasing that the 6,000-odd [...]
Little headway made in bid to cut bus trips
Cheung Chi-fai and Anita Lam – SCMP Bus trips have been cut by just a fraction on the city’s busiest traffic corridors in the past three years despite the government’s programme to streamline the routes of the three franchised bus companies. Last year, just 360 daily trips were cut from the target routes of Nathan [...]
Either way we pay
ALBERT CHENG, SCMP Air pollution has been a grim perennial problem in Hong Kong, posing a risk not only to the health of seven million citizens, but the city’s image as an international financial centre. Filthy air is choking our economic development by scaring away foreign investors. Hongkongers have for many years blamed the city’s [...]
Fresh thoughts
SCMP Any cross-border clean-up of air pollution must require co-operation among regional authorities. Opportunities for strong collaboration can be created and sustained, but Hong Kong must make this happen. A good place to start is our own government’s consultation on reviewing local air quality standards. I’m often asked whether people across the border are sufficiently [...]
Cleaner air objectives are inadequate
SCMP We welcome the long-overdue review of air quality objectives and the newly proposed strategies for air pollution control by the Environmental Protection Department. The underlying principles of protecting public health, the long-term goal of adopting the targets set by the World Health Organisation and the need for a regular review of Hong Kong’s air [...]
Clean-air investment will reap big returns
SCMP A business plan that projects returns of HK$1.2 billion for a HK$600 million investment sounds like an excellent deal. Company executives would scrutinise the details to ensure that there were no hidden costs or loopholes. Department heads would argue over where cuts could be made to finance the project. Driving all involved, though, would [...]
Air quality should meet strictest WHO guideline, 71pc in poll say
Amy Nip – SCMP The government should set new air quality objectives in line with the toughest guidelines proposed by the World Health Organisation, 71 per cent of respondents to a green group’s survey said. A survey conducted by Lingnan University for Greenpeace polled 532 people this month. Some 380 respondents, or 71.4 per cent, [...]