Breathe in, then out

Hong Kong people are the most dissatisfied in the world with the air they breathe. One in four adults is considering moving from Hong Kong because of air pollution, and the best educated are the ones who are thinking about this the most.

The first piece of insight is from a Gallup Poll survey published in April. Seventy per cent of Hong Kong people are dissatisfied with the air quality - the highest level of dissatisfaction by a long stretch. The next highest was Chad, at 59 per cent.

The second insight came from a Civic Exchange survey released this week that was conducted in May and June. In 2008, a similar survey was done, and one in five Hong Kong adults said they were considering leaving because of air pollution. At that time, people found it hard to believe because the figure was so high. But the situation has worsened: 3 per cent of those surveyed were planning to leave, about 7 per cent were seriously considering it and 16 per cent were possibly considering it. That's 26 per cent of the total.

But it is who is considering leaving that is of greatest significance to Hong Kong's competitiveness. The under-40s, those in their 40s, and those with undergraduate and post-graduate degrees are giving more thought to leaving. Then there are the higher-income earners, many of whom work in professional and managerial positions. Losing people from this group would have a negative impact on Hong Kong overall.

Another Gallup survey on people's desire to migrate permanently corroborates the two Civic Exchange surveys. Gallup's Potential Net Migration Index surveyed 148 jurisdictions between 2007 and 2010 and reveals who wants to leave and where they would go if they could. Singapore topped the chart with 219 per cent net inflow. Hong Kong had a net loss of 12 per cent, which means more people aspire to leave than want to come here.

While the Gallup index does not show why people want to stay or leave, in Hong Kong's case, the Civic Exchange surveys may well give an important clue that air pollution is an important factor.

This is bad news for everyone - government, business and the community. Moreover, 58 per cent of those surveyed by Civic Exchange did not trust the government to set and enforce overall outdoor air quality standards. This should be sobering news for officials; while most respondents believe that the government knows the importance of setting air quality standards to protect public health, they don't believe it is actually delivering.

It's hard to blame the public for arriving at such a conclusion. They assume the government has their best health interests at heart, but they are not seeing improvements from year to year. People remember the government's inability to get old and dirty diesel trucks off the road and to replace the most polluting buses. They have seen the idling engine bill emasculated when it went through the legislature following lobbying by transport interests, and the public has seen very few positive efforts in urban planning, such as creating pedestrian zones.

Perhaps even more telling is the lack of official response after a high-profile public consultation last year on tightening our grossly outdated air quality objectives. The public expected an official response at the start of this year, but there has been not a squeak. What are people to make of this?

Cleaning up air pollution requires sustained action on many fronts. While flue gas desulphurisation equipment is being added to Hong Kong's power plants, which will result in significant improvements, vehicular pollution will remain a huge public health problem - especially in congested, built-up urban areas. Meanwhile, shipping emissions from the container terminals will continue to affect many people who live and work close by.

It is Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen's job to co-ordinate the government's air pollution initiatives - he needs to accept his duty and act.

Christine Loh Kung-wai is chief executive of the think tank Civic Exchange