[Expatriate]

When I look out the window, I get frustrated. The air is horrible, although not as horrible as last week. First the muck in China, now here as well.

I give them 5 years to fix it. And in the meantime I'll build a house back home.

[Bobbybo]

Maybe you can start from:
- sell your car if you have any and don't use taxi, but buses and MTR;
- increase the temperature of your air conditioner to 25.5 or more at home and in the office;
- buy local products. Do you know how much energy you need for transporting stuff by air or by sea from the other side of the world?
- don't smoke. Good for your health and for the people around you;

You can start cleaning air changing small habits and teaching others to do the same. A big distance is made of thousands of small steps.

[Expatriate]

Originally Posted by Bobbybo

Maybe you can start from:
- sell your car if you have any and don't use taxi, but buses and MTR;
- increase the temperature of your air conditioner to 25.5 or more at home and in the office;
- buy local products. Do you know how much energy you need for transporting stuff by air or by sea from the other side of the world?
- don't smoke. Good for your health and for the people around you;

You can start cleaning air changing small habits and teaching others to do the same. A big distance is made of thousands of small steps.

- I don't have a car. I walk or use public transport, and here rather MTR than bus. Using the bicycle is too dangerous and is discouraged by the government.
- I can't change the temp. of the aircon in the office. At home I use the aircon only at night to get some sleep.
- I try to buy local stuff if available. Fish, veggies, but even the fish is not from here, as the water is too dirty and even using local water is prohibited in Hong Kong.
- You mean the air is so dirty from people smoking? Wow! Why doesn't the government put 1000% tax on cigarettes? This must be a huge income opportunity.

Anyway, I use the money saved for my house.

[Bobbybo]

I personally think clean air and bustling city life are two things you can't find together here in HK or elesewhere in the world.
2 years ago I moved back to a village on the Alps and stayed one year. Air, water, food, everything great. But no broadband, no life, no big stores and not so many things to buy or choose. I had to travel 45 minutes down to the valley for being able to buy the things I was used to.
I don't know where is your home, but life is just a trade between what you have and what you want. Maybe, back home, you'll miss HK.

[Expatriate]

Yes, I miss the Hong Kong from 15 years ago.

Big city and clean air seem to be possible in Sydney and Auckland. Toronto and Vancouver aren't so bad either.

And for a couple of days Hong Kong is super clean, just remember a few days ago, when the mountains were crisp.

So, technically it is possible.

[Bobbybo]

Originally Posted by Expatriate

And for a couple of days Hong Kong is super clean, just remember a few days ago, when the mountains were crisp.

Now it looks to me you are complaining about the weather and not about the pollution as a general phenomenon affecting HK.

[Asian1]

Everyone complains about the pollution but frankly it is not different from any other major city in the world IMO. I dont smell nor see pollution when outside. It is humid as heck and maybe you are confusing your inability to breathe with smog. Try getting into shape.

[jgl]

Originally Posted by Asian1

Everyone complains about the pollution but frankly it is not different from any other major city in the world IMO. I dont smell nor see pollution when outside. It is humid as heck and maybe you are confusing your inability to breathe with smog. Try getting into shape.

Get real. Humidity and pollution are easy to tell apart.

In the last ten years I've lived in New York, London, Sydney, Vancouver and Toronto. Hong Kong is by *far* the worst in terms of pollution. Especially particulates (I 'm asthmatic and run/bike so I pay attention to these things).

I also used to live in HK in the 90s. Since returning this year, I've noticed an incredibly obvious increase in smog.

Rather depressingly, when I asked an environmental engineer friend about running outdoors (which he does), the best he could say was that it's better than going to a smokey pub. When I run outside, I wear a pollution mask.

[jgl]

Originally Posted by Expatriate

I give them 5 years to fix it. And in the meantime I'll build a house back home.

The one glimmer of hope is that HK pollution is starting to make it into international news. The 8 Aug lights out stunt was on the BBC homepage, and I have friends in the UK who ask me about the air pollution out here. If Hong Kong's international business image is being tarnished, then the government finally has a serious motivation to do something locally. And China is starting to wake up to it's own environmental problems too- there was an article in todays SCMP about Shanghai setting dioxide emmission targets.

[Bobbybo]

Originally Posted by Expatriate

- You mean the air is so dirty from people smoking? Wow! Why doesn't the government put 1000% tax on cigarettes? This must be a huge income opportunity.

I suggest you to read something about tobacco smoke pollution