No Easy Scapegoat for Hong Kong Pollution
Summary: It seems Hong Kong's long smoggy skies cant be blamed on polluting factories in mainland China no longer. A new analysis has been released showing the city's air pollution is all to blame on Hong Kong itself. According to a recently released report for air quality Pearl River Delta area, their skies have been improvement over this past year. Cleaner industrial production, better energy efficiency can all be thanked for this improvement. But according to then Clean Air Network (local environmental group) the city's pollution has actually worsened, especially roadside pollution. The Delta region's nitrogen dioxide (a big part of roadside pollution) has dropped 13% but in Hong Kong a rise of 28% was seen, and this was from 2006 data! " Indeed, for concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, Hong Kong ranks second among 32 major Chinese cities, surpassing even notoriously smoggy Beijing, according to official Chinese data." For such a wealthy city many people are disappointed in the lack of leadership there. Many measures have started to be taken except for ones that could be one of the biggest contributors, boats and ships. The Clean Air Network has posted the blame on the city's rising car ownership and the aging of its car fleet. Several cities are taking action against this by paying people to retire their old cars and many experts say Hong Kong should join them.
Reaction: I found this article interesting because before reading it I had no such knowledge of this problem in Hong Kong let alone several other Chinese cities. This really concern me that the problem is so bad its own residents walk around with masks on so they don't have to breathe the air! To see this problem in such a wealthy city it disappoints me they haven't done anything earlier. Tourists let alone the people have been scared off by the smog. I really hope to see follow ups on this, I would like to know how much progress they make and how it might really help us to have such knowledge of methods. And to improve upon these methods if our own cities see this horrible drop in air quality.
Questions:
- Except for the car retirement, what else do you think are some effective methods for lower the air pollution?
- How would you feel as a resident? Who you breathe this air knowing of the pollution, or would you wear a mask like the women we see in this picture?
- What is the number one most air polluted city in China?
Reaction: This was a very interesting article to read. Road side pollution is ruining the huge city of Hong Kong, and it is even driving tourists and natives away from the city. It is scary to think that you can not see Hong Kong's highest peak (a famous tourist spot) because there is so much smog in the air! Also, it is ridiculous that a city with that much wealth has not done something to stop the problem. You know it has gone to far when pedestrians walking down Hong Kong's streets have to wear masks so they will not breath in the air. It is great that they enforcing car retirement, but I feel Hong Kong should be doing more.
ReplyDeleteExpansion: This is an article about pollution in Hong Kong.
http://business.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/18/pollution-hits-hong-kong-health-economy/
Question Answer: The number one most polluted city in China is Linfen, China.
Reaction: It is interesting to read that one of the richest cities in China is not handling their own pollution problem. It seems like there should be overall laws to set a standard for all Chinese cities to improve the air and limit pollution. It is also intesting because we think of China as being so technically progressive and modern yet they seem to have more pollution problems than the U.S. I wonder if the general public isn't willing to make changes to improve air quality or is it that the government just doesn't feel it is an important issue.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What laws exist in China now that address air pollution and do they cover all cities?
Opinion: It surprises me that one of the richest cities in China does not keep track of their air pollution. It seems as if a nation like China, an industrial power of the world, might be a little concerned about how they look with all of that pollution. Anyways, I would hope to see some improvement in their air pollution, and I bet the people of China would as well.
ReplyDeleteExpansion: I found an article about China's air pollution.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/on-our-radar-chinas-air-pollution/
Questions:
2) As a resident, I would try to move out of China, but if that is not possible, I would wear a mask.
My Question: What did China and other nations try to do to the air pollution during the times of the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing?
Hong Kong (HK)/ Kowloon is one of my favorite locations. I first visited this bilingual region in the mid 1990s. At this time the sky was always blue and the views simply stunning. I have had the opportunity to return to HK many times over the past several years and unfortunately I can confirm the situation that this Article details. Rarely is there a day with a blue sky and the air quality is frequently very poor. The poor air quality has significantly increased the levels of asthma in residents, especially children.
ReplyDeleteThere are many reasons for the poor air quality in this region including population growth, and increases in manufacturing and shipping activity. As we know the US imports an enormous amount of goods from China, and has provided the impetus for the rapid scale up of manufacturing and shipping capacity in this region. Unfortunately, the rapid increase in manufacturing capacity initially came without adequate environmental controls. I believe history demonstrates that this phenomena has occurred in many locations worldwide.
It is now very important that this region move ahead and implement the clean energy and pollution reduction strategies that have been identified. I believe the air quality can be improved dramatically in a short time if these actions are taken.
I found the Article discussion interesting in view of the picture provided. The Article discusses nitrogen oxides (NOx) which is a component of smog and the woman in the picture is wearing a mask. Will this mask actually filter the nitrogen oxides and smog and provide the woman with clean air?
Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the surrounding regions are a great place to visit and everyone should do so in their lifetime. Now is a great time to take a vacation to Asia. It may take longer to get there than a trip to Europe but it is just as exciting and for the moment much less expensive.
The outdoor markets and restaurants always provide both tasty food and a fun experience. If you have a chance to visit during the New Year festivities do not pass on the opportunity.
Reaction:
ReplyDeleteI was also shocked by this article. I had no idea that China was undergoing these problems. It's terrible to think that with all of the efforts to fix this problem it is actually making it worse. From what i hear China sounds beautiful! i would hate to see such a gorgeous country get polluted like this.
Question 2:
I too would wear a mask. If the air was really that bad and i didn't wear one i think that I would end up with a lot more health issues than with it on.