After weeks of fresh easterlies delivering clear blue skies, the sudden smog yesterday was a deadly reminder of how much Hong Kong relies on weather for the air we breathe … and just how much we rely on clean air from the east.
This month, plans are being finalized to build a HK$18 billion incinerator on an island east of Hong Kong with emissions reaching the local population when the east wind would otherwise deliver our fresh air. Local decision makers state their aim to address worsening air pollution by cutting emissions while tour operators charge haze travel insurance and visitors pose in front of a photo backdrop of the skyline.
No significant plans are underway for waste-reduction, sorting or recycling to reduce the need for incineration along with the resulting local emissions.
Read a submission by local experts for Plan B and send your message in a bottle …
Sign this local petition to support waste reduction at source : Reduce waste at source
This month, the Legco Finance Committee hopes to reach a decision on building the super-incinerator in the south-east of the territory.
The map below illustrates what arrives when we don’t get fresh air from the east.
Monday 9 June 2014 at 11:00am
Real Time Air Quality Index
– AQI Global: http://aqicn.org/city/hongkong (app available)
– HK Government Website: http://www.aqhi.gov.hk/en.html