Air Pollution in Hong Kong - Essay
Air Pollution in Hong Kong
In recent years, air pollution has become one of the top concerns of Hong Kong’s, which led to the rise of various environmentally friendly campaigns such as Action Blue Sky and Clean Air Charter brought forth by the government. However, it is still not uncommon to find the internationally well-known Victoria Harbour being veiled in a cloud of gloomy air with many skyscrapers barely visible at times. What is worrying is that the aforementioned measures seem to be ineffective. Therefore, before we can improve the air quality of Hong Kong effectively, it is good to take a closer examination into the major causes of this issue, including emission from power plants and from roadside, and how these affect the air quality in the following paragraphs.
Fundamental to the aggravating air pollution problem are several factors, with power plants being the most obvious one. Environmental Protection Department, EPD, (n.d.)suggests that “the power plants make up the largest emission source within Hong Kong, accounting for 92% of the total emission of sulphur dioxide, and half of that of nitrogen oxides and respirable suspended particulates (RSP) (p.1). It is manifest that population growth and rapid economic development in the past few decades set the backdrop of air pollution in Hong Kong. Clear The Air (n.d.), a green organization, points out that, in 2008, 2.78 times more polluting coal which released huge amounts of pollutants were burnt by China Light & Power Company than that in 1999 (¶1). Furthermore, due to global warming which is another big environmental issue faced by human beings, people now tend to use more air-conditioning. This in turn requires more electricity, which emits more air pollutants to the atmosphere. Therefore, economic growth and urbanization are indeed adversely harming the environment.
Besides emissions from power plants, another factor to which air pollution can be attributed is roadside pollution,
In recent years, air pollution has become one of the top concerns of Hong Kong’s, which led to the rise of various environmentally friendly campaigns such as Action Blue Sky and Clean Air Charter brought forth by the government. However, it is still not uncommon to find the internationally well-known Victoria Harbour being veiled in a cloud of gloomy air with many skyscrapers barely visible at times. What is worrying is that the aforementioned measures seem to be ineffective. Therefore, before we can improve the air quality of Hong Kong effectively, it is good to take a closer examination into the major causes of this issue, including emission from power plants and from roadside, and how these affect the air quality in the following paragraphs.
Fundamental to the aggravating air pollution problem are several factors, with power plants being the most obvious one. Environmental Protection Department, EPD, (n.d.)suggests that “the power plants make up the largest emission source within Hong Kong, accounting for 92% of the total emission of sulphur dioxide, and half of that of nitrogen oxides and respirable suspended particulates (RSP) (p.1). It is manifest that population growth and rapid economic development in the past few decades set the backdrop of air pollution in Hong Kong. Clear The Air (n.d.), a green organization, points out that, in 2008, 2.78 times more polluting coal which released huge amounts of pollutants were burnt by China Light & Power Company than that in 1999 (¶1). Furthermore, due to global warming which is another big environmental issue faced by human beings, people now tend to use more air-conditioning. This in turn requires more electricity, which emits more air pollutants to the atmosphere. Therefore, economic growth and urbanization are indeed adversely harming the environment.
Besides emissions from power plants, another factor to which air pollution can be attributed is roadside pollution,
References: Clear The Air. (n.d.). An Overview of Today’s situation in Hong Kong, ( ¶1). Retrieved September 26, 2011 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cleartheair.org.hk/energy-and-power-plants.php Godish, T. (1991). Air Quality, 4th ed.,. Chelsea, Mich.: Lewis Publishers, Inc. p.65-85 Hong Kong SAR. Environmental Protection Department. (2011, September 27). API Monthly Summary. Retrieved September 26, 2011 from World Wide Web: http://www.epd-asg.gov.hk/english/apisum/apisum_detail2011q1.html Hong Kong SAR. Environmental Protection Department. (n.d.). Government 's Environmental Policy for the Power Sector, p. 1. Retrieved September 27, 2011 from World Wide Web: http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/air/prob_solutions/files/brief-power_plant_e.pdf Liu, D. H.F. & Liptak, B. G. (2000). Air pollution, pp. 8, 13. Washington: Lewis Publishers, Inc. Loh. C., Stevenson. A., Weldon. M., Hedley, A.J., McGhee. S., Lai. H.K., . . . Lau. A. (2008, June). A Price Too High: The Health Impacts of Air Pollution in Southern China, p.8. Civil Exchange, Hong Kong University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, & Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Retrieved October 24, 2011 from World Wide Web: http://www.civic-exchange.org/eng/upload/files/200806_pricetoohigh.pdf Singapore. Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. (2011, June 8). Air Quality in terms of PSI. Retrieved September 26, 2011 from World Wide Web: http://app.mewr.gov.sg/web/Contents/Contents.aspx?ContId=52