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Hong Kong leader CY Leung downplays smog claim after rebuttal by weather chiefs
Chief executive said on radio show that pollutants from city caused smog in Guangdong when wind blew from south
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Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying drew criticism from current and former Hong Kong Observatory chiefs for claiming that local pollutants had caused smog in Guangdong, prompting him on Tuesday to say his remarks merely referred to views from across the border.
After his “Greater Bay Area” visit last month, Leung said on a radio programme that the pollution appeared to be a two-way issue: when the wind blew from the south, Hong Kong air pollutants caused smog in the province, while Hong Kong in turn blamed Guangdong when the wind blew from the north.
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Former Observatory director Lee Boon-ying said in a blog post on Sunday that the combination of wind direction and air stability meant there was little chance of smog from Hong Kong drifting to Guangdong.
He said smog was more common in winter when the air was stable, with air density higher at ground level, which prevented pollutants from spreading. The unstable air of the summer months usually prevented the pollutants from forming as smog.
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“There are two conditions for Hong Kong exporting smog to Guangdong: wind blowing from the south with stable air, but the chance of fulfilling the two conditions is slim,” Lee concluded.
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