SCMP Joyce Ng New emissions targets set for 2014 allow 18 days of levels above the maximum for nitrogen dioxide; the figure for last year was 241 days, shock study shows The immensity of the challenge facing environmental officials responsible for cleaning the city’s air has been exposed by a study which has matched...
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Challenge leaves us all out of breath
Clearly lagging
SCMP Mike Kilburn fears air pollution in Hong Kong could get even worse, given the latest evidence that clean-up measures are proving ineffective and officials are failing in their duty to protect public health This month marks a major watershed for air quality in Hong Kong. At the beginning of the month, the Environmental...
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No cause to breathe easier: experts
SCMP Dennis Chong Environmentalists say Hong Kong will struggle to meet its new air standards, which are not binding on the authorities Hong Kong will still lag international standards even after it approves tougher air quality objectives, environmental groups say, while experts believe the city will struggle to meet some of the new targets....
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Clean-air targets don’t measure up, critics say
SCMP Joyce Ng Green groups angered by ‘half-hearted’ approach after objectives finally endorsed. They fall short of WHO standards and won’t take effect for another two years. Hong Kong’s clean-air targets will be toughened for the first time in a quarter of a century from 2014, but they will still fall short of World...
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Gasp, it’s worse than we thought
SCMP Christy Choi HKU researchers, using a revised environmental index, say 3,200 people die prematurely every year from illnesses linked to air pollution in the city. Air pollution in Hong Kong is more harmful than previously thought, according to a revamped environmental index run by researchers at the University of Hong Kong. While previous...
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HK lags behind Beijing on air pollution: lobby
SCMP Adrian Wan Think tank Civic Exchange says mainland is more aggressive in moving to tackle smog, which has put pressure on city to act on standards for particles. Hong Kong is lagging behind the mainland when it comes to tackling air pollution, a think tank says in a summary of Chief Executive Donald...
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Newly announced Air Quality Objectives still leave public health in danger
Today, the Government announced new air quality standards for Hong Kong, called Air Quality Objectives (AQOs). Hong Kong’s last set of AQOs were first implemented in 1987 and have not been updated until now. Such action from the Government has been long awaited and Clean Air Network (CAN) welcomes this progress on the path...
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Donald Tsang’s repeated lies inspire 10,000 to sign clean air petition
For Immediate Release (January 16th 2012) Recent data has shown that roadside pollution in Hong Kong has deteriorated to a severe and dangerous level – last year, the Air Pollution Index exceeded 100 for a total of 1,247 hours, a 28% increase from 2010. Chief Executive Donald Tsang has repeatedly pledged to improve the...
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Pollution data released after outcry over smog
SCMP Shi Jiangtao in Beijing and Priscilla Jiao Authorities in smog-plagued Beijing yesterday began releasing hourly readings of three major air pollutants, in an apparent bid to appease residents angry about the government’s prolonged secrecy over the city’s deteriorating air quality. The move coincided with a pledge by Mayor Guo Jinlong to tackle smog-causing...
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A case of too little too late on dirty air
SCMP LAI SEE Howard Winn The latest report from Civic Exchange on Hong Kong’s air quality, “Air Quality: Report Card of the Donald Tsang Administration (2005-2012)”, is a damming indictment of the chief executive’s efforts to improve Hong Kong’s noxious air. It points to a litany of half measures, outright failures, dilatoriness, evasion and...
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