Strike a light: Hong Kong task force shelves legislation on light pollution
Advisers shy away from legislative approach taken overseas to curb light pollution, saying there is no 'majority' opinion on the issue
Hong Kong should not yet follow London, Sydney and Shanghai by imposing laws to tackle light pollution, government advisers say.
Even though previous studies found the problem worse here than anywhere in the world, they propose a "less draconian" approach of asking businesses to voluntarily switch off lights at preset times.
The Task Force on External Lighting stressed that it was necessary to strike a balance between commercial viability, nuisance to residents, the impact on the tourism sector and even safety.
In a report submitted to the government yesterday, the 14-member group said the idea of a voluntary charter scheme would be the more pragmatic approach to deal with problems associated with external lighting. It stressed that future legislation was not being ruled out.
"It is a less draconian measure that will be more palatable to the business sector and can help promote adoption of good practices," the report read.
