Hong Kong and the inconvenient truth
An Inconvenient Truth, featuring (the former next president of the United States) Al Gore, is no longer news to most people who read this blog. You've probably watched it already and know the world is coming to an end if we continue our environmentally damaging ways. But for those in Hong Kong, where the film was just released, you probably haven't. Last night, I watched it in a theatre with a handful of other people. The staff outnumbered the number of viewers and although it was a Wednesday, there were surely more people watching The Departed or even, The Devil Wears Prada (a film which has been in theatres for a month).
It is unfortunate that the average Hong Kong person cares so little about environmental issues. This is of course, my personal opinion which I'm open to changing. But while the government and public embrace the minimization of plastic bags (and really, charging for plastic bags one day of the month is minimum minimization), why are we so reluctant to reduce harmful emissions from vehicles and factories?
Hong Kongers like to point the finger at factories north of the border in mainland China. Over there, they say, they are the biggest polluters. That's true but there are always going to be other people to blame and this is something we're all responsible for. Another truth is one of Gore's most dramatic points in the film and that is If Greenland melts as it continues to do, sea levels around the world will rise 20 ft. If that doesn't concern every single person in Hong Kong, then maybe we deserve drowning.
Yesterday, chief executive Donald Tsang made his second policy address. Despite some environmental steps forward, he did little in terms of concrete measures to reduce emissions right now. Reduction on registration tax for low-emission, high fuel-efficient vehicles is great but the fact that he pledged to continuing consulting the public on whether to legislate against idling engines enrages me. This government has had no problem doing things without public consent, why stop now?
The argument against legislating an anti-idling law is that the public doesn't like the idea of turning off its car in hot weather because they are uncomfortable without their air-conditioning. At this point, I think it's the government's responsibility to educate drivers and show them that they are responsible for this part of a vicious cycle. The heat is due to the increase of CO2 gases. Your car is part the reason it's so hot and unfortunately, it will continue to get hotter if we continue on this path. Something's got to give.
One last point I will make is about the environmental business. Hong Kong is a wonderful place for businesses, but this doesn't mean it can't be an environmentally friendly place at the same time. The government's environmental policies shouldn't just be about limiting things, it should also be about creating and nurturing green industries. There are some fascinating things going on with green technologies around the world and I think Hong Kong can be a place of innovation. We have the resources, now we just need the will power.
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