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NOW TV Live wish to interview Clear the Air on Air Pollution tomorrow at 10:30am to 11:00am Live

Aug 2nd, 2012
by Editor.
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Dear All,

Now TV Live wishes to interview Clear the Air on Air Pollution and recent Hot weather, another guest from WWF.

Tomorrow Morning Live from 10:30am to 11:00am

Any particular issue you want me to bring up during the interview?

Regards

Edwin Town

Vice Chair, Clear the Air

90371186

James Middleton dynamco@netvigator.com
2 Aug (3 days ago)
to sen, kswong, CEO, me
Warnings as pollution hits ‘severe’ levels
Lai Ying-kit SCMP
2:34pm, Aug 02, 2012
Roadside air pollution worsened on Thursday, with Central and Mong Kok at times soaring above the “severe” level of 200.  The air pollution index at roadside monitoring stations peaked at 212 in Central at 7am, before falling slightly to the 190s around noon. The index was 200 at Mong Kok at 7am.

When the index hits 200, children and the elderly are advised to avoid physical exertion and outdoor activities.

The reading at Causeway Bay reached 182 on Thursday morning before falling to the 150s in the lead-up to noon. The air pollution indices in the three districts on Thursday morning were higher than their average levels on Wednesday, when the dirty air began to accumulate.  An index above 100 is classified as a “very high” level when people with heart and respiratory conditions are advised to avoid areas with heavy traffic. Three other districts – Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po and Kwai Chung – also posted “high to very high” levels of air pollution on Thursday morning. The Environmental Protection Department said pollutants were trapped as the wind was light in Hong Kong under the effect of Typhoon Saola.

Clear the Air says:

The typhoon in Taiwan has caused still air in Hong Kong.

With no wind to blow the smog away , bright sunshine is acting on the photo chemical smog from the engine combusted roadside NOx and so ozone is formed.

This shows conclusively that our pollution source is local and the NOx from old diesels and buses  and ozone remain trapped in our developer-friendly overbuilt urban canyons.

Furthermore 31% of our particulates, 27% of Nox and 23% of SOx comes from ocean SHIPPING vessels in and passing by our waters and burning high sulphur bunker fuels (2.75-4%) whilst we force the use of ULSD in street vehicles.

The USA has a 200 mile Emissions Control Area (ECA) for shipping which enforces the use of low sulphur diesel once entering the ECA.

So why not here too ?

Lest we forget : Yet another omission  that Edward Yau must answer for is a lack of follow-up with China to put this ECA in place.  He was too busy travelling the world 59 times in his 60 months term to concentrate on his supposed job here at the so-called Environment Bureau.

From: Professor Anthony Hedley
Sent: 26 July, 2012 16:38
To: Clear the Air
Subject: Re: SCMP Laisee

Things are beginning to move on the NO2 issue in WHO. The medical literature is now replete with studies on health impacts,especially in Maternal and Child Health,with diverse and serious outcomes (leukaemia,congenital heart disease,growth retardation in pregnancy) at levels considerably lower than the

current WHO annual limit. We have also just shown that compliance with the present short term limit (1 hour=200ug/m3) will not achieve the annual limit of 40 in a high pollution environment like HK.So there is a lot to do here.

T

On Wed, Jul 25, 2012 at 7:36 PM, CTA > wrote: SCMP Laisee

Kids wheezing Down Under – what about those in HK?

ATTENTION ALL CLEAR THE AIR MEMBERS! SPECIAL AIRFARES

Apr 25th, 2012
by Editor.
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Greens aim new blows at air targets

Feb 6th, 2012
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Hong Kong Standard

Monday, February 06, 2012

Nearly three weeks have passed since new clean-air targets were announced, but attacks by environmentalists on the proposals show no sign of abating.

Green groups Friends of the Earth and Clean Air Network yesterday rolled out a fresh line of criticism, alleging the new Air Quality Objectives violate existing legal provisions.

They say by enacting “harmfully low” objectives and delaying implementation for the benefit of major construction projects the government is in breach of the Air Pollution Control Ordinance.

Friends of the Earth legal adviser senior counsel Ruy Barretto said sections of the provisions require objectives be created and fulfilled in the public interest, while the objectives were based in getting environmental impact assessment approval for projects.

Thomas Choi Ka-man, senior environmental officer from Friends of the Earth, accused the government of enacting lax objectives and delaying tactics to create a “backdoor exit” for it to achieve the completion of its projects.

Civic Party vice-chairman Albert Lai Kwong-tak said the environment secretary has the power up to 2014 to enact amendments without going through the legislative process.

“This attempt to legislate for more delays clearly shows the government’s dishonesty in confronting the issue,” he added.

KENNETH FOO

CTA on Backchat

Jan 19th, 2012
by Editor.
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19 Jan 2012

http://programme.rthk.org.hk/channel/radio/programme.php?name=radio3/backchat&d=2012-01-19&p=514&e=166215&m=episode

click on link for site to listen

Backchat

Presenters: Hugh Chiverton

  • ·        Listen
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    Real

Air Quality Objectives
2012-01-19 HKT 08:30

Air Quality Objectives

The Government has set its Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) which will be implemented in 2014 and subject to review every five years. On today’s Backchat, we’ll be discussing how good the news is.(Mon~Fri 8.30am-9.30am, backchat@rthk.hk)

Clearing the air

Jan 18th, 2012
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Hong Kong Standard

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=11&art_id=118938&sid=35103473&con_type=3&d_str=20120118&fc=2

Kenneth Foo

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A breath of fresh air is on the way at last – if you can hold out to 2014.

That’s the date for tying Hong Kong pollution gauges to air-quality standards of the World Health Organization.Description: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/newsimage/20120118/5_2012011723351586071yau.jpg

And new measures to clear the foul air will include car-free zones, more railways and scrapping old polluting vehicles.

Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah yesterday revealed a series of steps to update the Air Quality Objectives.

Seven types of emissions will be monitored, and sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and lead will be subject to the most stringent standards of the WHO.

The remainder – including respirable and fine particulates – will be monitored according to the lower end of WHO standards. The objectives will be reviewed every five years.

But some experts slammed the moves as not tough enough.

Anthony Hedley, honorary professor of the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong, accused the government of setting up ” lax and interim targets that masquerade as long-term solutions to a problem that requires more drastic action.”

Yau said the government will adopt the new standards as the benchmark for conducting environmental impact reports for its construction projects.

But there will be a three-year transitional period for private developments to adjust to the new rules.

“For the standards to be implemented, clearly defined goals, effective means and an emission- reduction package with the consensus of the people ar

e of paramount importance,” Yau said.

He declined to estimate the social and economic costs of the new objectives.

They come as Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, who had pledged to clean up the city’s air, enters the last months of his administration.

During his election campaign in 2006, he vowed a ” blue sky” policy.

While pollutants from the mainland have declined following an emission control pact with the Guangdong government, pollution from vehicles has hurt efforts.

The Airport Authority backed the proposed new objectives and will use them if the government allows it to build a third runway.

The authority said it will follow them for conducting air-quality assessments.

It also backed the retirement of old vehicles and a tree-planting campaign.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong General Chamber of Chamber supported the moves as it said pollution is the top environmental concern of business.

But campaigners are critical.

The head of environmental strategy at Civic Exchange, Mike Kilburn, said: ” It is a move that we have been waiting years for years but we are extremely disappointed as the objectives are not strict enough to make any positive impact on air quality.”

Hedley said public health safety demands that the cap on sulfur dioxide should be set much lower than the proposed rate of 125 micrograms per cubic meter.

The University of Hong Kong yesterday released an update of its Hedley Environmental Index, which shows the impact of pollution on public health.

The new index will have a map showing real-time levels of pollutants at 14 monitoring stations and will benchmark itself to WHO standards.

Based on calculations made from the index, experts have raised their estimates to an average of 3,200 deaths annually – compared with 1,000 made in the previous study.

Economic loss is estimated to be HK$40 billion a year.

Download PDF : hkstandard

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=11&art_id=118938&sid=35
103473&con_type=3&d_str=20120118&fc=2

Who’s paying the piper?

Dec 13th, 2011
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South China Morning Post

Speaking on RTHK’s Backchat programme yesterday, Jim Middleton, chairman of anti-pollution group Clear The Air, mentioned that it would be interesting to know the funding for the various interests in Legco that succeeded in delaying then watering down the idling engine legislation.

He makes a good point. Do the bus companies fund political parties? Is this why legislative action to reduce vehicle emissions is so painfully slow?

Most developed economies have laws forcing political parties to divulge the source of their funding. It would be interesting, for example, to know where the DAB gets HK$70 million that enables it to provide free rice to older voters in housing estates, bus them to the polling booths and so on. But since those pulling the party strings are unlikely to want this, it’s unlikely to happen.

CTA was onair today

Dec 12th, 2011
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http://programme.rthk.org.hk/channel/radio/programme.php?name=radio3/backchat&d=2011-12-12&p=514&e=&m=episode

Vehicle engine-idling law /

On today’s Backchat, we look at the implementation of vehicle engine-idling laws that come into effect on Thursday

Clearing the air over credit for source of pollution data

Nov 26th, 2011
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SCMP Laisee – 26 Nov 2011

Good to see Friends of the Earth pointing to the “disappointing and shameful” air quality in Hong Kong.

It is also a shame and somewhat disappointing it wasn’t so frank about acknowledging how it came by the data.

While the original source of the data was the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), Friends of the Earth first heard about the existence of measurements for PM2.5 in Hong Kong in an e-mail from another green group, Clear the Air.

Lai See saw this original data some time ago and it was sent by Clear the Air to the Legco panel on the environment on October 1.

When contacted, Clear the Air chairman James Middleton said the organisation was “somewhat miffed at the lack of acknowledgement” of Friends of the Earth’s source.

But, he added, “any press exposure that shows the horrendous state of lethal PM2.5 and ultrafines’ pollution here caused by incompetent government inaction, prevarication and lack of political will, is good exposure that will be picked up on by the international press and corporations thinking about setting up shop here.”

PM2.5 refers to particles suspended in the air of 2.5 micrometres in diameter. These are smaller and more dangerous to health than PM10, for which the EPD publishes measurements on its website.

The department is doing test-runs for PM2.5. These smaller particles enter the lungs and contribute to acute respiratory symptoms, increase the frequency of child bronchitis, cause premature death owing to their toxicity and carcinogens, and cause cardiovascular illnesses such as heart attacks and heart beat irregularities, according to studies by Harvard University and others.

Middleton says Clear the Air, with help from a donor, plans to buy a Dust Track unit. With a certified expert at the controls, the unit will take PM2.5 readings in our busiest streets which will be published later.

CTA Letter to the Panel on the Environment

Oct 1st, 2011
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Download full PDF : CTAletterPanelPM2.5

Watchdog upholds air quality complaint

May 8th, 2011
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South China Morning Post — 8 May 2011

The Ombudsman has upheld a landmark complaint from an environmental group which accused the Hong Kong government of dragging its heels over setting new air quality standards.

After a five-month investigation, the watchdog – which has become increasingly vocal in its criticism of officialdom – said the government should set out a timetable for new air quality objectives to give the public a clear picture of progress.

Yesterday, Friends of the Earth, which lodged the complaint with the government watchdog in November, welcomed the decision but expressed frustration that the Ombudsman had not found officials guilty of maladministration.

The green group’s senior environmental affairs officer, Thomas Choi Ka-man, said they received a letter on Friday from the watchdog confirming their complaint had been upheld. Choi said his organisation was pleased but added: “We are disappointed as the department’s delay is not considered maladministration.”

Last night the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said it welcomed the Ombudsman’s report but added that it was already reporting progress on the matter to the Legislative Council every six months.

“We welcome the reply of the Ombudsman regarding the complaint about the Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) Review. We are also working closely with the concerned bureaux and departments and other stakeholders with a view to drawing up a practicable timetable.”

The department also said the proposed air quality improvement measures covered a wide range of issues and cut across a number of often complicated policy areas. “The government needs to analyse in detail the different views collected and assess their impacts on the relevant policies in order to fully consider and co-ordinate the implementation of the recommended measures. We are pleased to note that the Ombudsman accepts that the government would need more time to achieve consensus within the community.”

According to Friends of the Earth, the Ombudsman’s letter said: “To improve air quality, the department should not only focus on amending the objectives alone without complementary measures. From an overall prospective, the situation has not constituted maladministration.

“However, there are increasing public expectations for better air quality following the public consultation. Our office [Ombudsman’s office] believes that even though the department may have encountered difficulties in setting new air quality objectives and in carrying out measures, it still needs to set out a timetable and explain to the public the progress and difficulties.

“It [the department] should put in place the new air quality objectives as early as possible,” the letter said.

The Ombudsman’s office refused to comment on its letter to Friends of the Earth.

In January, the Ombudsman pledged to investigate why the government had yet to set new air quality objectives even though it had conducted a review of air standards three years ago and invited public comment last year.

The government commissioned a consultant to review the objectives in 2007. It came up with a public consultation document that proposed a new set of standards recommended by the World Health Organisation.

But a year after people gave their views on the public consultation document in November 2009, officials are still not saying when new objectives will be introduced. The delay has added to doubts about the government’s determination to improve air quality, which has worsened year after year at street level.
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