Hong Kong should ask itself if it wanted to keep its reputation as the Pearl of the Orient when it considers imposing more regulations to fight light pollution.
That's the opinion of veteran advertising agent Dr Mak Siu-tong, who is also one of the people deciding what, if anything, should be done about the issue.
'New York's Time Square, Tokyo's Ginza and London's Piccadilly all have bright and flashing advertising signboards but people in these places, despite their advances in protecting the environment, never complain about it,' Mak said.
The Convey Advertising chairman was recently appointed to the 19-member task force on external lighting formed by the Environment Bureau in the wake of a campaign by environmentalists. The task force - which will meet for the first time on Wednesday - will work out issues relating to specifications and technical standards of outdoor lightings and, most importantly, whether a law to curb light pollution is needed.
Mak, whose company runs about 1,000 billboards across Hong Kong, has seen advertising evolve from still images illuminated by incandescent lightbulbs to LED screens of moving images erected on rooftops. He admits he only started recently to think seriously about light pollution.
'Hong Kong is always bright when you look down from an aeroplane. You can't differentiate between Tsuen Wan and Shau Kei Wan as they are similarly illuminated and that's why the city is termed the Pearl of the Orient,' he said.
Unlike overseas cities where there was often a single landmark or commercial district, Hong Kong's layout where mixed land uses were common also made it difficult and impractical to introduce zoning restrictions on outdoor lighting, Mak said.