Recommended Policy Measures to Improve Air Quality

Transcription

1 Recommended Policy Measures to Improve Air Quality September 2012 INTRODUCTION Throughout 2012, Hong Kong s air pollution has continued to exceed levels considered safe for human health 1. The situation is one that should be of paramount concern for instance, Hong Kong s levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) - an especially deadly pollutant due to its small size - are the eighth worst in the world, even worse than the levels found in some developing nations 2. Furthermore, poor air quality taints Hong Kong s reputation as a world class city and hampers Hong Kong s competitiveness by hurting its ability to attract and retain talent. Most importantly, Hong Kong s air pollution is causing serious harm to the health of its seven million citizens. For all of these reasons, it is imperative that the Government take action to remedy the situation. Local sources generate the majority of Hong Kong s air pollution for fifty three percent of the year 3 so much can be done to mitigate the problem. Clean Air Network (CAN) has drafted some recommendations that CAN believes can quickly and costefficiently reduce air pollution. RECOMMENDED MEASURES 1. Update the Air Quality Objectives immediately The current Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) have been in use for over twenty five years, meaning they are very outdated. On January 17 th of this year, the Environment Bureau announced that the AQOs would be updated. However, even with legislation proceeding accordingly, 2014 is still the earliest expected date for implementation of the new AQOs. 1 Clean Air Network, Hong Kong Air Quality Review: January June, 2012 (Hong Kong: Clean Air Network, 2012), 2 Alice So, Unlucky eight as city chokes on air placing, The Standard, November 25, 2011, accessed September 17, 2012, 3 Alexis Lau et al., Relative Significance of Local vs. Regional Sources: Hong Kong s Air Pollution (Hong Kong: Civic Exchange, 2007)

2 The Air Pollution Control Ordinance (Section 7(1)) 4 allows for the legislative process to be bypassed to quicken the pace for renewal of the AQOs. With nine people a day dying prematurely due to air pollution 5, the current administration should take it upon itself to introduce new, tighter air quality standards immediately. Continued delays will only result to deepen public frustration. Furthermore, Hong Kong is quickly being outpaced by other cities in the region in setting air quality policies that adequately protect public health. For instance, Singapore recently announced that they have adopted the World Health Organization s (WHO) air quality guidelines as targets for In comparison, Hong Kong s new proposed AQOs do not come remotely close to meeting the WHO s guidelines 6. Hong Kong needs to carve out a clear path for our city s sustainable future and restore Hong Kong s image as a role model for development in the Pearl River Delta Region and for the rest of Asia. The Government should set out a clear roadmap for progressive tightening of the AQOs. This will allow stakeholders, such as businesses and bus companies, to make apt preparations for compliance and encourage greater cooperation as measures to reduce air pollution are effected. 2. Formulation of air quality policies that involve the Department of Health The most serious impacts of air pollution are on public health, superseding even SARS and swine flu in the level of threat it poses. The 2003 SARS outbreak resulted in 299 local deaths and the 2009 swine flu pandemic resulted in 80 local deaths; in comparison, in 2011, Hong Kong s air pollution killed an estimated 3,200 people 7. The WHO officially recognizes diesel exhaust as a carcinogen and studies have shown marked increases in doctor visits, hospital visits and Hong Kong s mortality rate when pollutant levels rise 8. 4 Department of Justice Bilingual Laws Information System, Cap 311 Air Pollution Control Ordinance 1987, (Hong Kong: Department of Justice, 1987) 5 Hedley Environmental Index, accessed September 18, 2012, 6 Clean Air Network. New announced Air Quality Objectives still leave public health in danger. Last modified January 17, Hedley Environmental Index, accessed September 18, 2012, 8 C.M. Wong et al., Public Health and Air Pollution in Asia (PAPA): Coordinated Studies of Short-Term Exposure to Air Pollution and Daily Mortality in Four Cities. Part 4 Interaction Between Air Pollution and Respiratory Viruses: Time-Series Study of Daily Mortality and Hospital Admissions in Hong Kong, Health Effects Institute 154 (2010),

3 Therefore, in order to strengthen the Environmental Protection Department s (EPD) understanding of the public health impacts of air pollution, the Department of Health should be included in the formulation of air quality policies. With proper consultation of professionals with authoritative expertise, the EPD will be able to propose policies that prioritize and effectively protect public health. 3. Elimination of old diesel commercial vehicles Vehicle emissions pose the greatest threat to public health as they are emitted in closest proximity to the general population and in very high concentrations; therefore, measures tackling roadside pollution should be the priority and will be the most effective in alleviating the danger to health. According to data received from the Transport Department, as of the end of 2011, there were as many as 111,164 diesel commercial vehicles on Hong Kong s roads, over seventy percent of which are still using engines which are pre-euro IV. These vehicles account for about eighty percent of respirable suspended particulates and approximately seventy percent of nitrogen dioxide emissions from the entire road transport sector. 9 When the Government launched a scheme to subsidize the replacement of pre-euro and Euro I diesel commercial vehicles, the number of applications received only accounted for about thirty percent of the total number of eligible vehicles. A following scheme to replace Euro II vehicles resulted in only ten percent of the total number of eligible vehicles applying. (See Appendix I for a breakdown of both replacement schemes.) Discussions with owners of diesel commercial vehicles have revealed that the shrinking market is one reason for the limited success of the aforementioned schemes. Given the market situation, a scrapping scheme, where vehicle owners who wish to discard their old vehicles without buying a new one can do so while still being able to obtain funding, would be more effective. To further encourage participation in the scrapping scheme, the Government should set a deadline to ban high-emission vehicles. 9 Legislative Council Panel of Environmental Affairs Subcommittee on Improving Air Quality, Early Replacement of Old Diesel Commercial Vehicles (Hong Kong: Legislative Council, 2010)

4 4. Rationalization of franchised bus routes Public buses contribute about forty percent of roadside emissions 10. Discussions with franchised bus companies have highlighted that the many overlapping routes are negatively impacting their operating efficiency. Moreover, the superfluous number of buses running on the roads is a major contributor to congestion. All this serves to generate unnecessary amounts of roadside pollution. Proposals to rationalize bus routes must go through district councils for approval and are typically met with fierce resistance. It is essential that the EPD and Transport Department liaise with district councilors to clearly communicate the benefits to the community that rationalizing bus routes would bring, e.g. lower levels of roadside pollution, less congestion, etc. and to ensure that a balance is struck between convenience for each district s residents and rationalization of the bus routes. 5. Replacement of the most polluting franchised buses As of the end of April 2012, there were 5,028 buses with engines that were Euro III or older in the total franchised bus fleet. 11 Based on an average price of HK$3 million for every new double-decker bus, it would cost only HK$15.1 billion to subsidize franchised bus companies replacement of all these aging buses with Euro IV or newer buses. (See Appendix II for a full breakdown of the replacement costs.) A Euro IV bus emits thirty percent less nitrogen oxides and eighty percent less respirable suspended particulates than a Euro III bus 12, so this would be the most effective way to reduce emissions from this sector. In comparison with building the very costly high-speed train system (the price tag of which is in the hundreds of billions), provision of subsidies for bus replacement would lift the pressure of a fee increase off of the public and, at the same time, greatly benefit public health. Clean Air Network September Edward Yau: verbal statement in Legislative Council Environmental Affairs Panel, July 29, Data received from Transport Department, April Dieselnet. Regulatory Framework Emission Standards, accessed on September 17,

5 APPENDIX I Table 1: The replacement of diesel commercial vehicles subsidy scheme Implementation Dates Budget/ Eligible vehicles Expenditures / Vehicles that applied Percentage of the total amount of dollars/ Percentage of the total amount of cars Subsidy scheme to replace pre- Euro and Euro I diesel commercial vehicles 2007 April 1 to 2010 March 31 (36months) HKD 3.2 billion/59,000cars HKD 6 billion /17,000car 18.75%/ 28.8% Subsidy scheme to replace Euro II diesel commercial vehicles 2010 July 1 to 2013 June 30 (36months) HKD 5.4 billion /28,000cars *HKD 2.28 billion/ 2,589cars 42.22%/ 9.25% *Data as of the end of December 2011.

6 APPENDIX II Table 2: Number of buses and cost for bus replacement Number of buses * Percentage of the total bus fleet Total cost of replacement (HKD) ** Pre % 3 million Euro Euro I 1, % 3.4 billion Euro II 2, % 7.9 billion Euro III 1, % 3.8 billion Euro IV % No replacement Euro V % No replacement Total 5, % 15.1 billion * data up to the end of April 2012 ** calculated based on an average price of 3 million HKD for every new double-decker bus