Something's in the Air that Influence Public Health Posted On : Oct-15-2010 | seen (329) times | Article Word Count : 645 |
The living standard is getting higher and higher; on the contrary Roberto Gagliardini Jersey , people health is getting worse and worse. At the same time, the surrounding lose its natural face About 1,100 people die every year as a result of pollutants in the air. But inter-departmental squabbling has prevented action programs aimed at cleaning up roadside pollution and removing Hong Kong from the list of the world's most polluted cities. Christopher DeWolf reports.
Hong Kong's roadside air pollution hit record-high levels last month, with data from the Environmental Protection Department showing that pollution at roadside monitoring stations reached "very high" levels for 9.5 percent of the time in July, August and early September. The previous record Samir Handanovic Jersey , set in 2004, was 8.2 percent.
The findings have added to growing alarm about the impact of roadside air pollution. Even as Hong Kong's overall air quality improves, pollution in the streets is getting worse. But unlike other environmental problems, like climate change, environmentalists say there are a number of straightforward ways of dealing with roadside air pollution Cheap Inter Milan Jerseys , by implementing stricter emission controls and reducing traffic on the streets.
Stricter emission standards have had a limited impact because commercial vehicles are inspected only for safety and not fuel efficiency, says Hung. "These vehicles are used very intensively. If you're a taxi driver, your first priority is to run the business, and you won't allow the vehicle to have a rest." After several years of such use, even an LPG taxi would exceed emission standards Fredy Guarin Inter Milan Jersey , he says.
What makes the problem even worse is Hong Kong's densely-built urban environment, which reduces air flow and prevents pollutants from being dispersed. "Even if we emitted the same amount of exhaust as in other cities, the urban canyons create a memory effect, so that the pollutants stay there for up to a month if there is no rain," says Hung. Even though Nathan Road has a much lower traffic volume than the city's expressways Ivan Perisic Inter Milan Jersey , it is three times more pollutants, because emissions are trapped by the street's tall buildings.
While environmentalists say that the most pressing issue right now is to deal with the emissions by old vehicles, a long-term goal would be to focus on what Ooi calls "end-of-tailpipe solutions," which would prevent Hong Kong's urban landscape from exacerbating the effects of air pollution. Those include the creation of low-emission zones where traffic is limited, the expansion of Hong Kong's pedestrian precincts Joao Mario Inter Milan Jersey , tree-planting and the creation of more green spaces in congested areas.
In a study on Hong Kong's most-polluted streets, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's Institute for the Environment proposed that Des Voeux Road in Central be given over to trams and pedestrians, with wider sidewalks and trees along the sidewalks. Similar plans for Queen's Road Central and some streets in Mong Kok were proposed by the government last year, but inter-departmental squabbles have put them on hold. Recently, the part-time pedestrian scheme in Mong Kok was scaled back Miranda Inter Milan Jersey , with Sai Yeung Choi Street re-opened to cars at 11 pm each night, an hour earlier than before. (The above article resource from )
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