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SCMP Reporter

Q Are tougher safety laws needed to protect workers?

My answer is no. While Hong Kong has a series of safety laws, many workers do not care about them. They think they are experts in the field. So they may ignore the safety laws and continue what they are doing. The problem is not the toughness of the safety laws, but the awareness of the workers.

Our government should increase the inspection of dangerous work places such as construction sites and sewers. Inspectors should have the power to punish any workers who do not follow the safety laws. Also,  these dangerous jobs are mostly being done by illegal immigrants. With lower education levels and poor safety awareness, it is easier to have serious accidents.

The government should check the contractors to see if they employ illegal workers and take legal action if they do so.

Candy Au, Tsuen Wan

Q What do you think about the 2004 honours list?

The idea to publicly honour so many of Hong Kong's citizens on July 1 each year is admirable. It must be really difficult for the government to decide who makes the list, and those who were selected this year are to be  congratulated.

Still, it was disappointing to see that just 14 per cent of those honoured were women. If women really do hold up half the sky in this part of the world, then it might not be unreasonable to expect to see them proportionally recognised for their efforts.

Pamela Smith, Repulse Bay

Q Who is responsible for the spread of Sars?

I feel sympathy with the people who lost their loved ones last year, but  in my opinion, we should not put the blame on anyone. I know many people may get angry, especially the residents who live in Amoy Gardens, because of my words.  Sars is a new disease that we had never come across with before. We didn't have any experience facing that scary monster. Compared with other countries, Hong Kong did a good job providing the most effective medical treatment for the victims.

The government also came up with a number of ways to tackle the problem, for example, isolating the residents of Amoy Gardens to prevent the further spread of Sars and providing them with daily necessities.

Doctors in Hong Kong made sacrifices to save  lives. They have great medical ethics. They all did their best, so why do we still keep blaming them?

Carmen Lau Pik-ha, Ngau Tau Kok

Q Should CLP Power be forced to cut its emissions?

Being the largest power supplier and with its increasing emission of pollutants, CLP Power certainly must do its fair share to improve air quality.

Therefore, it should be forced to take action in response to the worsening situation. For instance, it can find another source of gas supply,  etc. But in doing so, it should be given a grace period as such measures are by no means cheap. Time should be given to do more research so as to ensure cost-effectiveness.

On the other hand, the burden should not be shouldered by CLP Power alone. The government can also help by providing subsidies.

In addition, everything bears a cost. If we want to breathe cleaner air, we, the consumers, must be prepared to pay a higher electricity price.

Christine Lam Man, Tsuen Wan

Q Are power firms doing enough to increase the supply of renewable energy?

CLP Holdings, the largest power company in Hong Kong, announced its first local wind-energy pilot scheme, which is a 600-kW-capacity wind turbine located somewhere in Hong Kong by 2007. This pilot project will cost $20 million, compared to CLP's profit of $7.8 billion last year.

While the world's total installed wind capacity last year reached 32,000 megawatts, providing electricity to 16 million households in Europe, CLP's claims of a 'first-class commercial-scale pilot project' again reveals how far  the company is lagging behind the global renewable energy trend and illustrates its short-sightedness regarding  such investments.

Greenpeace, the European Wind Energy Association and the Chinese Renewable Energy Industry Association jointly launched a report entitled 'Wind Force 12' in May, showing that by 2020 China could provide 417 terawatt hours of electricity per annum from 170,000 megawatts of wind.

This figure represents 12 per cent of the International Energy Association's forecast Chinese electricity consumption in 2020.

Furthermore, the social and environmental benefits brought by this ambitious wind energy development include 444,000 jobs from wind power and an annual reduction of 325 million tones of carbon dioxide.

Very soon, the full societal and environmental costs of burning fossil fuels will be factored in, giving renewable energy the level playing field  needed for it to compete with dirty energy sources. In light of the huge, clean and profitable wind resources in the Pearl River Delta region, our government and power companies such as CLP owe it to citizens to exploit these resources.

Instead of continuing their 'business as usual' position, power companies could proactively negotiate with governments about how to create favourable conditions and the momentum to speed up the development of renewable energy.

Gloria Chang, campaigner, Greenpeace China



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