Greenpeace blasts Hong Kong government over new air quality objectives, estimating 2,000 extra deaths each year from pollution
- Environmental group estimates the effects of air pollution if the city follows its new guidelines until 2025
- Veteran activists says city has ‘no timeline, no road map and no destination’ on air quality
An environmental group has said the government must further tighten its air quality benchmarks set to go into effect next year if it wants to prevent an estimated 2,000 deaths and HK$80 million in health care costs each year.
Among the Greenpeace projections were about 2,000 deaths, 1,300 or more visits to emergency wards and at least 264,000 more cases of respiratory disease each year. The cost to the public health sector was estimated at HK$80 million (US$10.1 million) per year.
Greenpeace said the health and economic impacts estimates were “conservative”. The group said its study was based on officials figures on the emission level of fine suspended particulates (PM2.5) in 2015, and its projected emission level in 2025. It said the corresponding health risks were in line with government models.
“The government needs to take tackling air pollution more seriously. It is the number one threat to health globally,” said Frances Yeung, a senior campaigner for Greenpeace.