Huge task ahead to meet 2010 air quality targets

Last month, the administration published a report on air quality in the Pearl River Delta. It contained depressing news. Those living in this area need no reminding that we breathe foul air. Every morning, when we look out of the window, we know we are in dire straits.

In a joint effort to tackle the problem, the governments of Hong Kong and Guangdong reached a consensus in 2002 to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, respirable suspended particulates and volatile organic compounds by 2010.

The mid-term review of the delta regional air-quality management plan revealed that air pollution is far more serious than envisaged and a lot more effort is required if the 2010 targets are to be met.

One reason for the debacle is the rapid economic development in the delta's economic zone. The review found that the economy will rise by 509 per cent, the population by 56 per cent, electricity consumption by 158 per cent and vehicle mileage by 319 per cent by 2010, compared with 1997 levels. These figures far exceed the assumptions made in 2002.

Much of the delta pollution is caused by the 57,000 Hong Kong-owned factories, which make up about one-third of the factories in the province.

Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah told the Legislative Council that the 1997 pollutant emissions were underestimated in 2002 because there was no common or objective basis for assessment. A handbook was only compiled in 2005. These standards were used in the mid-term review to recalculate the emissions in 1997.

To tackle the problem, Mr Yau said the Guangdong provincial government had agreed to implement the existing control measures, and will carry out additional ones as recommended in the mid-term review.

These include: fitting new coal-fired power plants with nitrogen oxide removal equipment; tightening emissions standards for boilers for industrial and commercial use; strengthening cleaner manufacturing requirements for products containing volatile organic compounds; setting limits on volatile organic compounds in consumer products; and boosting emissions controls of local vessels.

Even without the mid-term review's revelations, many Hong Kong people are suspicious of the calculations and have little confidence that the targets will be met in 2010. But everyone knows that if the air quality is not improved, it will affect the economy, as investors are increasingly put off by air pollution.

I have conveyed to the Hong Kong administration the people's desire for clean air. The government must work closely with the two power companies and the many transport operators to ensure the city achieves the 2010 targets. This is not a foregone conclusion; we legislators must redouble our efforts.

The administration should also do more to encourage the Hong Kong owners of delta factories to adopt cleaner production techniques. Last month, the Legco Finance Committee approved a proposal to give HK$93 million to the Productivity Council to launch a five-year programme to help about 1,000 delta factories adopt cleaner production technologies and practices.

Given the magnitude of the problem, this is just a drop in the ocean. Some factory owners have already moved out of Guangdong, taking their polluting industries to other places that are willing to accommodate them.

In the campaign to protect the environment, we should give incentives to factory owners to embrace clean practices. We should also urge the public to invest in socially responsible, environmentally friendly companies. Adopting cleaner manufacturing will raise production costs, and consumers should be prepared to pay higher prices. But if we don't support cleaner production, we will pay an even higher price - with our health.

Emily Lau Wai-hing is a legislative councillor for The Frontier