[Expatriate]

I have the impression it gets worse year by year. Does it influence your decision to live here? I mean, it's great money, but what's the point if you have it to spend for respiratory equipment in a few years?

[esque]

yeah, it makes me seriously averse to spending more than a couple of years here - especially if I want to have a kid some day!

[gofer067]

2006 April:
I dont think its getting any better. i actually felt worse venturing in the street from my stuffy room

[wolge]

I dont know the exact comparisons to other cities in terms of air pollution.
My experience: Lung doctors diagnosed me with "light asthma" after 2 years in hong kong. Symptoms - restricted breathing on the left, flame after sport, eating, drinking.
Might be coincidence or age related off course.

What I cannot understand is that the government cannot issue a law against idling engines (like in place in most countries in Europe).
How can for example a taxi driver sleep in his car with the engine on without legal consequences? To me a criminal act! Same you see with school buses, minibuses, drivers waiting for their bosses and so on. Drives me nuts sometimes.
Called up the einvironmental protection departement 5 years ago because of this. The leading politician told me " The law is in the making". Truly political answer...

Markus
Happy Valley

[Laughing_Monkey]

http://www.cleartheair.org.hk/api.htm

Its scarey how little anyone seems to clear about just how bad the air quality is here. I know the API isnt a perfect measure, but its better than nothing!

[Sleuth]

Air pollution is even worse in PRC. You can chew the air in Yantai area. They will never have it cleaned up in time for the Olympics, unless they just shut the economy down for months.
Might do all of us some good to have thousands of western athletes and journalists breathing the "air" in China.
Maybe the next big thing--don't buy from this brand because their factories in China are slowly killing everything.

[Expatriate]

They WILL probably shut down all businesses in Beijing for the olympics just like they did for the APEC meeting in Shanghai.

Most of the air pollution in Hong Kong comes from the Pearl River Delta, however, many of those factories are Hong Kong investments. In addition there are the trucks transporting the goods made in china to Hong Kong for shipping.

It might not be necessary to make a law against idling engines. The idling engines suggest cheap fuel, therefore a higher fuel tax might be an answer.

[Nutta!]

HKSAR lacks political weight against PRC

[Laughing_Monkey]

i think it would prob take something like the EU linking trade quotas to emissions for the PRC to actually do something about air pollution - i mean why bother? Peoples health is not coming to top the priorities bill over making money.

Even coupling quotas pro isnt enough as how do you enforce/monitor it? Would anyone other than the EU be willing to do it? Could they even afford to?

Best thing is that it would mean that the next region of the world to be turned to a giant factory (my money is on Africa) would have to go about it in a less environmentally reckless way...

[Sleuth]

That's the worst part about PRC pollution. The technology exists to clean it up and they don't have to do what they are doing. It isn't 1900 anymore.
I guess they figure what's a couple more dead peasants; there are already too many of them.