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Hong Kong’s main air pollutants may have fallen last year, but there is no room for complacency on the road to healthier transport and energy.
Hongkongers are playing their part by buying more electric cars and the government is building more charging points, leaving buses and other modes of public transport as holdouts in the race to reach zero emissions on our roads.
Easing of social-distancing measures has brought an increase in air pollution, which led to 1,329 premature deaths in Hong Kong last year.
The Hong Kong government needs to do a lot more to tackle air pollution, which is leaving far too many in the population vulnerable to diseases.
After a stop-start policy on electric vehicles, the authorities seem to finally be on the right path towards a greener future.
- Authorities say stricter air pollution rules would also prevent 2,300 hospitalisations, 927,900 outpatient cases and save HK$275 million in medical costs every year
- But lawmaker Frankie Yick says lower sulphur diesel fuel could be 40 per cent more expensive at the pumps and hit the livelihood of city’s seafarers
Readers discuss the urgent need to accelerate steps to combat air pollution, Hong Kong’s response to Japan’s release of waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and the steep rise in food prices in India.
Government proposes to tighten five air quality objectives and introduce three new parameters based on World Health Organization benchmarks.
City’s weather forecaster records year-high temperature of 34.7 degrees Celsius at Tsim Sha Tsui station on Wednesday.
Phased introduction of fees planned, with authorities saying new charge will ensure ‘sustainable development’ of service.
Readers discuss the link between air pollution and post-Covid risk, and ask for an SPCA app for vet appointments.
Conducted by scientists in Australia and China, the study found that more than 90 per cent of days in southern and eastern Asia had concentrations of dangerous particulate matter exceeding the WHO’s safety limit.
CLP Holdings will continue to invest in Australia to improve the reliability of its coal power plants there while installing low-carbon alternatives to achieve long-term decarbonisation.
Environmental officials optimistic city’s air quality will continue to improve in years to come with greater adoption of electric cars and clean energy.
Readers discuss the environmental challenges the city needs to address, and solar energy development.
Readers discuss the importance of indoor air quality standards for schools in Hong Kong, and good news for the local economy
Government report shows greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 equivalent to 33.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, about 16 per cent lower than in 2019.
Readers discuss how Covid-19 measures affect disabled patients in hospitals, the new testing rule for bars, the city’s continuing ‘trade barrier’ against itself, and why the congestion levy should be based on income.
The government expects bus operators to conduct trials of electric vehicles, but operators are reluctant to invest in such tests without a road map from the government. Meanwhile, air quality levels are far from satisfactory, leading to over a thousand deaths each year.
Hong Kong needs to catch up on electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities to meet demand, as EV use could more than double to 10 per cent by 2025, according to Cornerstone Technologies.
UN health agency says 99 per cent of planet’s population breathes air exceeding air-quality limits, often rife with particles that penetrate lungs, enter veins and arteries and cause disease.
Readers discuss the need for the Lantau Tomorrow Vision in the face of the Northern Metropolis proposal, and the city’s immediate problem of worsening air pollution.
Most major pollutant concentration levels in the city fell short of WHO standards, with only sulphur dioxide meeting the global body’s targets, according to the Environmental Protection Department.
The Clean Air Network found that the annual average concentrations of major air pollutants all increased last year from 2020 levels, though they were still below the amounts recorded before the pandemic began.
Only 16 responded to a Friends of the Earth survey on where candidates stand on environmental topics, despite Hong Kong’s 2050 carbon neutrality pledge.
Readers discuss the reopening of the underground reservoir in Sham Shui Po, the transition to electric vehicles, and the importance of positive thinking for cancer patients.
The government has adopted a variety of measures to improve city’s air quality, including phasing out polluting vehicles. It will progressively make improvements, first through interim targets and then proceeding towards WHO targets in the longer run.
Authorities are expecting such conditions, blamed on Typhoon Chanthu, to persists for another two days.
App a boon for those sensitive to pollutants, such as asthma patients, who can assess health risks in different areas.
