Vehicle owners can't shirk their responsibility in polluter-pays society
Tiffany Leung calls on owners of polluting vehicles to do their part to cut emissions
With the chief executive's policy address approaching, discussions abound that the government may take a "carrot and stick" approach to combat Hong Kong's notorious roadside pollution - by limiting the number of old commercial diesel vehicles allowed on our roads and subsidising the cost of replacement vehicles.
Just how much should the subsidy be? Industry stakeholders have asked the government to cover at least 30 per cent of the cost of a new vehicle. A timely question to ask is: who should be paying for pollution?
When a man falls ill while breathing in the fumes emitted by a diesel truck, he pays the doctor's bill while society pays the larger opportunity cost of his missing a day's work. When calculating what it takes to operate a truck, one can count the fuel, maintenance, insurance and licence fee, but the true cost will be far higher when the impact on public health and the economy are taken into account.
Citizens have long suffered the damage imposed on them by polluters - the premature deaths, the hospital days, the doctor visits and the hours of lost productivity. The amount grows year by year.
Economic development has come at the cost of our quality of life. But, now, there is hope that the money gained can be used to buy back blue skies and better protection of public health.
The government is offering a subsidy for cleaner vehicles. It is now up to the vehicle owners to take responsibility for the pollution they are causing and accept the idea that a polluter should pay. This means replacing their old vehicles as soon as possible and ensuring regular maintenance.