Does Pollution in HK Worry You?

[redwriter]

Enjoy the funny comments!

I also can't control myself when government and scientist predict what will happen in 25 to 100 years from now. Who cares? I will be dead in less than 25 years, and based on previous 100 years, nothing will change. Bad air, bad politics.

Until then, enjoy all you can.

[Sleuth]

It all has to begin somewhere and with somebody...

There are a few businesses out there in the region that have taken action however, they are the pioneers and their impacts are minimal to the larger situation but greater to their own -business models- of course their actions are not the type that receive all the publicized hype.

Ironically, these businesses also tend to be educated overseas and the second or third generation to run the business.

I meant that it is always cheaper and, therefore, more profitable to pollute. So I can't see the Chinese businesses stopping. Unless the government steps in with some sort of tax or subsidy.

[Norbert]

Have lived here more than 10 years but contemplating quitting now. Too many coughs and colds, etc., and our 13 yr-old is starting to get allergies. Inaction from PRC govt means it'll just get worse.

[canuckinhk]

Enjoy the funny comments!

I also can't control myself when government and scientist predict what will happen in 25 to 100 years from now. Who cares? I will be dead in less than 25 years, and based on previous 100 years, nothing will change. Bad air, bad politics.

Until then, enjoy all you can.

What a sad and selfish comment. It is this attitude that has put the earth into the state its in.

yeah, you might be dead and gone, but don't you think you owe it to the future generations to leave the planet a little better than you found it? surely that would have a more lasting effect than the money that you can't take with you.

we cannot live by the pirate's code... take all you can. give NOTHING back.

[redwriter]

Previous post:

We cannot live by the pirate's code... take all you can. give NOTHING back.

WHY NOT?

[Sleuth]

Previous post:

We cannot live by the pirate's code... take all you can. give NOTHING back.

WHY NOT?

Seems to me a large portion of the world lives by that code. And has for a long time.
Which doesn't make it right, but the whole global warming/pollution thing is a free-rider's dream. If everyone else will fix the problem, those that don't help come out waaaaay ahead.

[texasaxel]

There are a few businesses out there in the region that have taken action however, they are the pioneers and their impacts are minimal to the larger situation

This is exactly why government action is required to reward/support those, who make an effort, and tax/penalize those HK-owned businesses (whether in HK or mainland China), which continue to ignore even basic envionmental standards. What bothers me most about the current situation is it appears to be of little concern to the HK government (in fact, it appears the mainland government has recently become more pro-active on this than our own 'World City' administration). A first step would be to recognize that things are bad but even that seems to be too much to expect. It all reminds me a bit of good old George W and his band of ignoramuses. Now that the guy he stole the election from is Mr. World Peace there is hope that the environment will start to play a more prominent role in the U.S. - so I do not despair yet for Hong Kong, there is still hope that even Donald bow-tie will come around.

Money, by the way, does not appear to be in short supply in HK. The government is swimming in surpluses and could, if the will was there, tackle its homegrown pollution through aggressive action instead of ignoring the issue or pretending to be helpless against the causes of it.

[Sleuth]

Is the PRC government doing anything other than talking in a manner necessary to improve PR with the world press?
And I would like to point out that the Dems now control both houses of Congress and you do not see any progress on the environmental front. No speechifying, no bills for the President to veto, no resolutions aimed at making the GOP pick a side. In short, they are no different in action from GW. They (much like the PRC government) are just so much talk. I read recently where the Dems had accomplished a smaller percentage of their self-stated, pre-election goals than the Iraqi government had accomplished of their American imposed goals. Very disappointing. And their approval ratings are even below GW's. No wonder. A pox on both houses, if you ask me.

[toddyinhk]

unfortunatley it seems the majority of people and the majority of our leaders share redwriters view.

the developed world blames things on the developing world for using older/more polluting methods of industrial production. their argument is they need to do this to boost incomes and quality of life for their citizens, and blame things on the developed world who have far higher per capita rates of pollution.

what hope then for our future generations? makes me think twice about wanting to start a family.

like most other expats here, i've made a choice to live here, knowing the pollution is bad. but the other advantages of living here, must outwiegh this.

[Sleuth]

[QUOTE=toddyinhk;184992]their argument is they need to do this to boost incomes and quality of life for their citizens, [QUOTE]
According to the Economist a couple of weeks back, China isn't even managing to do that. They are just getting the pollution part right. Ditto India.