Once upon a time, Hong Kong turned down the lights at night.
Nowadays, closed shops, empty housing blocks and giant advertising signs all have their lights burning bright all night, wasting electricity and contributing to global warming, says an environmental group.
Government figures spell out the size of the problem: between 1997 and 2004, the amount of energy used for lighting grew by 25 per cent, but the city's population rose only 4.3 per cent. In other words, consumption per person of electricity for lighting rose more than a fifth over the period.
A search by Friends of the Earth identified a number of examples of wasteful lighting across the city. They even included outdoor spotlights burning bright during the day.
The government does not seem to be doing anything to regulate the problem.
Last year, seven Central and Western District councillors complained to the government about the billboard illuminated in red on top of the Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan, which they said caused nuisance to nearby residents. Seven government departments - transport, highways, environmental protection, home affairs, lands, buildings and the police - said it was not their problem.