Dirty old town

Hong Kong survived the bird-flu pandemic and Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the Sars outbreak in 2003. Now many fear that it will be a chronic crisis - air pollution - that will do most harm to the city's future.

In a place where earnings and acquisition have long been people's priorities, a dramatic shift in behaviour appears necessary to prevent Hong Kong from becoming a victim of its 'toxic sewers'.

Calls have been made, urging consumers to adopt 'clean' technologies, and the city's government and commercial sectors to pursue more green initiatives.

Clean technology, as described by United States-based research firm Clean Edge, is 'a diverse range of products, services and processes that harness renewable materials and energy sources, dramatically reduce the use of natural resources, and cut or eliminate emissions and wastes'. It notes that clean technologies 'are competitive with, if not superior to, their conventional counterparts'.

Green initiatives include campaigns against 'light pollution' - the excessive use of neon lights and overlit advertising. Government-led efforts include implementing strict guidelines for auditing the carbon emissions of commercial and residential buildings and more stringent air-quality, fuel and vehicle emission standards.

According to research conducted at the University of Hong Kong, the city's air contains almost three times more soot and other pollutants than New York's and more than twice that of London. Hong Kong is bedeviled by high particulate matter levels, which are linked to increased mortality risk. It also has high levels of sulphur dioxide, which has been linked to childhood respiratory disease.