Change in materialistic attitude could reduce air pollution
SCMP
Edwin Lau Che-feng, director, Friends of the Earth (HK)
In today’s society, status is often judged by what one drives, what one wears and what one eats. This value judgment that is prevalent in Hong Kong today is now becoming widespread in mainland cities.
Along with fashionable clothing, the status-symbol car has become the must-have. Carmakers have cleverly grasped this you are what you drive attitude to produce, for their consumers, big luxurious cars with over-powerful engines.
While the world trend is towards smaller, low-emission cars for environmental reasons, the demand for powerful engines and bigger SUVs remains undiminished in Hong Kong and the major mainland cities like Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. Carmakers conveniently play down the harmful effects that these gas-guzzlers have on air pollution, public health and climate change.
With scant attention paid to growing worldwide environmental concerns, carmakers are still putting profit before environmental conservation and sustainability. They are still producing extremely powerful cars with engine capacities of 4 litres or more because there is more profit in larger models than compact family cars. Carmakers are taking advantage of status-seekers who want to own a big, showy piece of shiny metal to ride in. Engines in these cars do not sip fuel like those of the new compact vehicles – some of which are achieving 25km per litre (70 miles per gallon) or better – but guzzle petrol like there is no tomorrow.
In a facile nod to the environment, the Hong Kong government is trying to develop an electric car market here in an attempt to clean up our filthy air. Our government should examine carefully the lifecycle energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions of electric cars. It is doubtful that the use of private electric cars alone will clean our air.
To really reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, why doesn’t our government focus on cleaning up our main means of public transport – buses. More than 90 per cent of Hongkongers commute daily on public transport. If a city has an efficient, comfortable and eco-friendly public transport system, more people will use it.
Belatedly, in his policy address, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen announced that Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen will lead the relevant bureaus and departments to review the existing air quality objectives (AQOs) to tackle air pollution. Finally, Mr Tsang has realised that the problem of air pollution requires a top official to head such a project. It is time to turn the numerous consultations and studies into immediate action.
Even measured by the outdated and lax AQOs, the air pollution index has been dangerously high these last few days: the reading from the Central roadside monitoring station has reached 173.
The government must start implementing all the 19 measures proposed by the Environmental Protection Department immediately after the public consultation on the AQOs ends on November 30. Every citizen should submit their views on tightening the current objectives.
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