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Invest NOW in Clean Air

Civic Party and Business calls for a Green New Deal

The Triple Challenges

As we move into the Year of the Ox, Hong Kong is faced with three challenges: a global economic crisis characterised as the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s; a climate change posing serious risks to the well-being of humankind; and local environmental degradation threatening to dissipate the community’s effort in pursuit for better quality of life. We cannot afford to deal with them one by one. We need a smart solution to deal with them, all at one time.

A Timely Solution

In order to create new jobs and to support faltering businesses, there is a community consensus to increase public expenditure. This presents an unprecedented opportunity to not only boost the economy, but to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and to reverse the trend of environmental degradation. This is what we need most: a Green New Deal for Hong Kong. We have the resources, the expertise and the community mandate to do it right. The time to act is now.
 

A Public Health Crisis

There are many facets to a Green New Deal: to tackle pollution, to reduce waste, to better plan the city, to upgrade building stocks, to build sustainable infrastructure, to shift to green transport, to revolutionise energy policy and begin to decarbonise the economy. Each of them will benefit from public investments and innovative policies, and create green jobs and business opportunities. As the first of a series of proposals, we highlight the need to invest in clean air, especially at street level where the causes are primarily local. Poor air quality has cost us dearly, accounting for at least $1.5 billion in direct healthcare every year and $21 billion in total avoidable costs including productivity loss and premature deaths.¹ Air pollution is a collective problem requiring collective action with Government providing essential leadership. Tackling air pollution is not only a smart investment; it is the only responsible way to avert a public health crisis.

Clear Targets
Over the years many studies have been conducted, and plans devised to tackle air pollution by experts inside and outside of the Government. The time for scientific debate is over. What we need is not more study and discussion, but strong political will to set clear targets and get the job done. Based on the numerous works by expert groups^2,3, in particular the “Clean Air and Blue Skies” report by the Council for Sustainable Development (CSD)⁴ which was then chaired by Mr Donald Tsang, and the Air Management Plan by Civic Exchange⁵, we believe it is feasible for the Government to adopt the following targets as part of the Green New Deal:

1. To commit to meet the WHO IT-2 targets in 2012 and IT-3 targets in 2017, so as to move us forward in meeting the WHO air quality guidelines in full no later than 2022 (see Appendix);
2. To have mandatory reviews to update air quality standards every five years with reference to WHO guidelines and current science on public health impacts of air pollution.
3. To commit to invest at least $50 billion in reducing local pollution between now and 2012, corresponding to the action prescribed for the “bold scenario” in the CSD report.
4. To commit to reduce total road-side emissions to 50% of 2008 level by year 2012.

 Immediate Action

Dirty buses are major sources of traffic-related pollution which accounts for over half of the total costs of pollution to the community. Buses, while often not the dirtiest vehicles on Hong Kong roads, tend to operate at times of greatest road congestion and in places of greatest pedestrian activity, and hence represent a disproportionate acute exposure risk to very unhealthy levels of air pollution. As an illustration of what is feasible, the Government may set up a special fund of $6 billion from this year’s budget to help bus companies to take the following measures:

1.      Require all the 3500 Euro II and III franchised buses and non-franchised buses to fit state-of-the-art after-treatment devices  which will reduce particulate emissions by up to 90% as well as NOx and NMVOC by up to 30%, before the end of 2009.

2.      Require all the 1500 pre-Euro buses, which are at least 14 years old, to be replaced with Euro V standard vehicles, before the end of 2010.

3.      Legislate a mandatory annual check on in-use vehicles to comply with emission standards at equivalent levels to that set by the California Air Resources Board⁶.

In addition to drastically reducing road-side pollution within two years, the above measures will create new business opportunities and new jobs in research, production, operation, maintenance and management. As a medium term target, the Government can implement viable plans to introduce new bus fleets powered by either Compressed Natural Gas (when supplies from the Mainland terminal become available) or diesel-electric hybrid engines. By working with the bus companies, the Government can ensure that any such public investment will become a subsidy to the environment and to the commuters by preventing any bus fare increase, and hence guarantee public support.

The crises are looming. The window of opportunity is narrow. We call on the Government to embark on a Green New Deal, and as the first initiative, to invest in clean air NOW.

 
Contact Person: Albert Lai (9125 6505)

 References

1.   Wong CM, McGhee SM, Yeung RYT, Thach TQ, Wong TW, Hedley AJ.  Short-term health impact and costs due to road traffic-related air pollution.  Final report submitted to the Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong, 2002. (http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/air/studyrpts/files/ap_health_impact_02.pdf)

2.   Hedley AJ, McGhee SM, Barron B, Chau YK, Chau J, Thach TQ, Wong TW, Loh C, Wong CM.  Air pollution: costs and paths to a solution in Hong Kong ­– understanding the connections among visibility, air pollution and health costs in pursuit of accountability, environmental justice and health protection.  Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health A 2008; 71:544-54.

3.   Hedley AJ, McGhee SM, Wong CM, Barron B, Chau YK, Chau J, Thach TQ, Wong TW, Loh C.  Air pollution: Costs and paths to a solution.  Department of Community Medicine, University of Hong Kong, 2006. (http://www.civic-exchange.org/eng/upload/files/200606_AirPollutionSolution.pdf) 

4.   Council for Sustainable Development. Clean Air and Blue Skies – the choice is ours. November 2006

 (http://www.susdev.org.hk/en/report_list.htm)

5.   Civic Exchange. An Air Management Plan for Hong Kong. September 2006 (http://www.civic-exchange.org/eng/publication_ec.aspx)

6.  California Air Resources Board. The California Low-Emission Vehicle Regulations. December 2008. (http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/levprog/cleandoc/cleancomplete_lev-ghg_regs_12-08.pdf)

Appendix   WHO Air Quality Guidelines and Interim Targets (in µg/m³)