Hong Kong’s air quality index smokescreen must be lifted to reveal true pollution levels
I believe he fails to understand that political action must go beyond government measures now being enacted. Pollution is getting worse. You only have to look at increasing ozone levels to know this. The photochemical smog he referred to is a result of the high levels of ozone and nitrogen oxides combined with solar UV radiation, of which only sunlight is a natural event; the others are produced by polluting emissions.
The government must adopt World Health Organisation standards to remove the smokescreen which they hide behind. Using its Air Quality Health Index standards obscures the reality that our air quality is considered dangerously unhealthy on the WHO scale. WHO standards should be adopted so that the true state of Hong Kong pollution compels private and public action. All legislative sectors should have a public policy agenda for complying with WHO standards.
The government’s stated intention was to curb car growth, but why target e-cars? Instead, taxes should have been raised on vehicles that rely on fossil fuels, which are much more numerous and popular than e-cars – this is the way to curb car ownership.
Electric vehicles are not the only answer, as they, too, contribute to pollution – because electricity is often supplied by coal-burning plants. But they are a step in the right direction, given the impact of roadside emissions on health.