The air quality in Hong Kong is worse than it has ever been since records began, according to official figures revealed on Friday. Much of the pollution comes from factories just over the border in Southern China, though heavy traffic in the city itself is also to blame. Officials fear that the poor air quality could threaten Hong Kong’s position as an international finance center.
From Yahoo News:
The number of hours for which street-level pollution exceeded the danger level in some of the city’s busiest districts rose by 14 per cent in 2008, according to Environmental Protection Department figures.
The department said air pollution levels in the three main shopping and business districts were dangerous for more than 2,000 hours last year — the highest figure since it began taking roadside recordings in 2000.
An Air Pollution Index (API) of more than 100 is considered dangerous, indicating immediate health risks, especially to people with respiratory or heart problems.
Hong Kong’s acting environment secretary has proposed a ban on running engines of parked vehicles, and environmental groups are calling on the government to ban heavy diesel vehicles from driving in busy districts during peak traffic hours.
Something certainly needs to be done quickly, especially as an estimated 10,000 deaths per year in Hong Kong, Macau and Southern China can be attributed to air pollution. And the Hong Kong Environment Protection Department says the pollution may be even worse than these new figures reveal, because they only reflect the level of pollutant that posed the greatest health risk.
This isn’t just a problem for the health of the people living in the area – it’s a problem for the world. Hopefully the government will act quickly with measures that actually have a real impact on the problem.
Link [Yahoo News]
