Hong Kong must raise the bar when it comes to cleaning up its act on air quality, top scientist says
● Dr Alexis Lau says review should be driven by what is best for public health, not what is most feasible
● Instead of doing just enough to pass, city should be aiming higher
Hong Kong’s five-yearly review of its air quality objectives should not be “feasibility led” but “public health driven”, a veteran air scientist has suggested.
Dr Alexis Lau Kai-hon said the city needed to do more than just pursue broad policies that ensured it could “pass the exam”, and instead set progressive health-based targets that would motivate policymakers to constantly do more.
“If someone tells you all you need is a pass, all you’ll think about is how to get a passing grade,” he told the Post. “If someone tells you that you need to achieve at least 90 points, then you might think of more things.”
The professor at the University of Science and Technology’s Division of Environment and Sustainability also said the government needed to be more “prepared” for reviews, as it lacked crucial data that would help with the review phase and allow it to come up with more scientific policies.
Lau’s comments come as a government working group prepares to release a host of new recommendations for improving air quality.