Hong Kong Pledges $1.3 Billion To Fight Air Pollution
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Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has announced up to HK$10 billion ($1.3 billion) in subsidies to replace and limit diesel-powered vehicles in the former British colony, reported the Financial Times on Wednesday, following growing concerns that the air quality in the Chinese territory was now mirroring those of the mainland.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has announced up to HK$10 billion ($1.3 billion) in subsidies to replace and limit diesel-powered vehicles in the former British colony, reported the Financial Times on Wednesday, following growing concerns that the air quality in the Chinese territory was now mirroring those of the mainland.
The move, which seeks to cut particulates emissions by nearly 80 percent and nitrogen oxides by 30 percent, will be part of an overall effort to tackle quality-of-life issues, said Leung, claiming that he wanted to make Hong Kong a more liveable city with “lush countryside, fresh air and a clean environment.”
[quote]“We strive to improve air quality on all fronts… We must phase out old diesel commercial vehicles with greater financial incentives while putting in place more stringent regulatory measures,” the city’s administrative head said, as cited by Bloomberg.[/quote]Besides replacing up to 80,000 older commercial diesel vehicles, Leung further intends to set a service limit for new diesel commercial vehicles at 15 years.
According to a BBC survey of more than 200 international and local companies operating in Hong Kong released in May 2011, three out of four companies said that the poor air quality in the Chinese territory was making it harder for them to attract and retain employees from overseas. Additionally, about 25 percent of Hong Kong residents said that they were considering moving because of the poor air quality.
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Part of the problem, Jennifer Wong, a partner at KPMG, claims is due to the proximity of Hong Kong to China’s Guangdong province, which is the mainland’s industrial and manufacturing heartland.
[quote]“HK$10 billion is a big sum, but it’s just to replace old vehicles. You need the co-operation of your neighbours,” Wong said, in an interview with FT.[/quote]Nevertheless the government’s failure to force aging buses and trucks off its streets is another key cause of the city’s smog, according to Bloomberg.
An AFP report suggests that the city’s pollution may have been, directly or otherwise, responsible for the deaths of nearly 3,200 Hong Kong residents annually. Hong Kong’s problems are similar to the Chinese capital of Beijing, who declared an emergency plan this week to tackle pollution levels that reached record highs.
