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February, 2010:

Met Office to look again at global warming records

global warmingFirst published: February 25, 2010

Source: The Telegraph

The project, in partnership with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), will gather the original temperature records from thousands of weather stations around the world. The readings will be double-checked and new information that has become available, such as improved understanding of atmospheric change, will be added. The data will then be independently analysed to assess how the temperature has changed over different regions.

The new analysis, that will take three years, will not only provide a more detailed picture of global warming but boost public confidence in the science of climate change.

Climate change sceptics claim that emails stolen from the University of East Anglia show scientists were willing to manipulate global warming data in a scandal known as ‘climategate’.

(more…)

2010 budget speech highlights: Promoting Green Economy

a world of green

Promoting Green Economy


89. In my last Budget, I proposed to promote a “green economy” and introduced a series of measures, including Hong Kong-Guangdong co-operation in environmental protection, the use of electric vehicles and promotion of green buildings. In his Policy Address, the Chief Executive further announced the development of environmental industries as one of the six industries and put forth initiatives in respect of the Cleaner Production Partnership Programme, the Clean Development Mechanism Projects, and Government Green Procurement. These initiatives have already been rolled out. In the next financial year, I will give further support in the following areas.

Pilot Green Transport Fund


91. To encourage the transport sector to test out green and low-carbon transport technology, I propose to set up a $300 million Pilot Green Transport Fund for application by the industry, initially by the public transport operators. I hope that this Fund will encourage the industry to introduce more innovative green technologies, such as the use of buses, public light buses, taxis, and ferries that employ green technologies, and help nurture the budding of green technology in Hong Kong.

92. The use of low-emission and energy saving transport will not only help improve roadside air quality, but also reduce carbon emissions and promote a low-carbon economy. I hope that the transport industry will actively try out innovative green technologies, contributing to better air quality and the health of people living in Hong Kong.

Phasing Out Old Diesel Commercial Vehicles


93. In 2007, the Government launched a scheme to subsidise the replacement of the more polluting pre-Euro and Euro I diesel commercial vehicles with newer models producing fewer emissions. The scheme will end this March. To continue to accelerate the phasing out of old diesel commercial vehicles, I will provide a 36-month subsidy scheme for the replacement of Euro II diesel commercial vehicles. The scheme will involve expenditure of about $540 million.

94. I also propose to accelerate the tax deduction for capital expenditure on environment-friendly vehicles. Enterprises can enjoy a 100 per cent profits tax deduction in the first year under the proposal. This will encourage the business sector to purchase more electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and other environment-friendly commercial vehicles.

95. To promote the use of electric vehicles, I set up the Steering Committee on the Promotion of Electric Vehicles last April. The Committee has made a number of recommendations on the strategy and concrete measures for promoting electric vehicles. One of the recommendations is that the Government should take the lead in using more electric vehicles. We have procured 10 electric vehicles, and plan to purchase 10 to 20 such vehicles in each of the following few years. Besides, 10 electric motorcycles have been introduced into the Police fleet. In the private sector, the two power companies have placed orders for over 20 electric vehicles. Furthermore, around 200 electric vehicles will be supplied to the local market in the next financial year. We expect to see wider use of electric vehicles in Hong Kong in the year ahead.

96. We have made good progress in increasing charging facilities for electric vehicles. We have built charging stations in nine government car parks and will build more than 20 such stations this year. Apart from these, the two power companies have started building 28 charging stations in various car parks. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has also issued guidelines on the installation of charging facilities in car parks to encourage operators of private car parks to provide such facilities. The Government and the power companies will continue to expand the charging networks for electric vehicles.

What do you think about the government’s proposals? Sound off after the jump.

(more…)

Cutting bus routes could take years, transport officials admit

SCMP, Anita Lam

23rd Feb, 2010


Transport officials admit cutting bus routes will be difficult to realise because public consultation could take years.

But the government is pressing bus firms to offer more joint concessions on fares for interchanges.

Commissioner of Transport Joseph Lai Yee-tak said public consultation over the necessity of a bus route could take years.

“We will not underestimate the difficulties [in cutting routes], at the same time we will work with the bus companies to provide more bus-bus interchange concession, and the Environmental Protection Department will educate the public over the impact of that on air quality,” Lai said.

The Transport Department has submitted this year’s proposed bus route cuts to district councils.

Last year, the Environment Bureau proposed a 10 per cent cut on bus trips to improve roadside air quality. Buses account for 40 per cent of the total emissions from vehicles.

Deputy commissioner of transport Carolina Yip Lai-ching said it was hard to slash bus routes amid public dissent, and the axing of a Kowloon Motor Bus service in 2008 was an example.

Public consultations could drag on for years without reaching consensus. It took officials up to eight years to cut route 70, which ran between Sheung Shui and Jordan.

“Of course, in the end we decided to cut bus route number 70 despite opposition from the community, but we must always go through a certain process,” Yip said.

Nearly 70 per cent of the city’s 600 bus routes offer fare concessions on interchange journeys.

But New World First Bus said it was not easy to offer more concessions – especially since interchange fares between routes from different operators involves complicated profit-sharing calculations.

KMB said it could not afford to offer more concessions on interchange fares.

Meanwhile, the department would soon offer real-time traffic information in a new service to be launched in the next few months, which will advise drivers on the best route.

Clear The Air agrees with and endorses the conclusions and recommendations in Civic Exchange’s: “Green Harbours:


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Clear The Air

22 Feb, 2010

Clear The Air agrees with and endorses the conclusions and recommendations in Civic Exchange’s:  “Green Harbours:  Hong Kong and Shenzhen – Reducing Marine and Port Related Emissions” report of June 2008 – as summarized in the Executive Summary below. (The Report can be download from: http://www.civic-exchange.org/eng/upload/files/200806_Gports.pdf)

Executive Summary

Busy ports, high pollution and public health Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) have some of the busiest ports in the world and throughput is expected to grow. Millions of people in the region live and work in close proximity to port facilities and are directly exposed to harmful levels of shipping and port-related emissions. Toxic emissions from ships and port-operations represent a danger to public health and a long-term threat to the economy.

Local and regional initiatives

Governments and the various players in the maritime sectors of Hong Kong and the PRD have already implemented some positive measures including: encouraging the use of low-sulphur fuels by ships, barges, port vehicles and equipment; using electricity to power port machinery; reducing fuel consumption; and using quay-side electrification. The more progressive companies are looking at how to reduce their carbon footprint.

Low-hanging fruit available

Although these measures in themselves are not sufficient toreduce emissions on a scale necessary to protect public health, they do form a solid foundation on which to do more. There is also low-hanging fruit available for the authorities to harvest, such as those recommendations noted below.

Other ports are dealing with pollution

The health impact of marine and port-related air pollution is not a problem unique to Hong Kong and southern China. In North America and Europe in particular, ports, governments and maritime industries are developing solutions to protect public health by way of regulations, incentive programmes, award and recognition schemes, comprehensive plans and policies, research and cross-interest collaborations. The report’s key recommendations draw on that international experience, as follows:

(1) In the short-term: Foster greater cross-border, cross-port and cross-sector collaboration

• Implement fast and easy wins, such as requiring vessels to slow down to reduce fuel consumption.

• Fast-track collaboration across jurisdictions and amongst diverse stakeholder groups, such as port authorities, maritime industry associations, public and non-government environmental agencies, and public health specialists.

• Establish a regional, cross-industry body to manage port- and marine-related environmental issues.

The HKSAR Government is well-placed to convene this group.

• Create exchange programmes with international ports with green port policies to share international best practice.

(2) In the medium-term: Develop a comprehensive green ports strategy and related policy measures

• Develop an overarching regulatory and planning framework for implementing green port policies through cross-industry-cross-jurisdiction dialogue recommended above.

• Use regulatory processes under international treaties such as Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) to engage Hong Kong, the PRD and Beijing.

(3) Look at cleaner fuels initiatives

• Consider imposing fees on high-sulphur fuels and lowering taxes and duties on ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD).

• Improve fuel distribution infrastructure to decrease the actual cost of ULSD for local craft.

• Encourage the use and availability of cleaner fuels.

(4) Ongoing training programmes for industry

• Offer government-sponsored training programmes through the Hong Kong Productivity Council to refresh and upgrade end-users’ knowledge of equipment efficiency and proper usage to reduce fuel consumption.

(5) Research

• Conduct a government-led detailed inventory of maritime-related pollutants, including greenhouse gases to provide a strong technical foundation for both policy decisions and on-going research and monitoring in the PRD.

• Undertake research on the health effects of marine and port related emissions to determine subsequent policy measures to reduce the impacts.

SCMP Sep 17, 2009

Reducing highly toxic emissions from ships must be a key part of the government’s clean-air strategy. Right now, shipping emissions are regarded as a problem that can wait. Officials have not given this a higher priority because they take a total-quantity approach rather than a public health one. Total emissions from power plants and road vehicles are many times higher than that from ships. But this approach misses the high toxicity of bunker fuel. Data from the maritime industry shows that the 15 biggest ships in the world today may emit the same amount of pollution as all the cars in the world.

Imagine a large container ship coming into Kwai Chung terminal. It stays there for, say, a day to load and unload cargo. While the ship is docked, it is still burning bunker fuel to generate electricity. Under international agreements, oceangoing vessels can burn bunker fuel with up to 4.5 per cent sulphur content, although the average is about 3 per cent. This is extremely high compared to the 0.005 per cent sulphur content of ultra-low sulphur diesel that road vehicles burn in Hong Kong. Kwai Chung is close to the homes and workplaces of millions of people. Even light breezes can blow the emissions to heavily populated areas.

The issue, then, is straightforward. The government must multitask – while it prepares plans to drive down power and vehicular emissions, it must at the same time deal with ships. So far, officials have only proposed to deal with local vessels. These are the smaller vessels operating in local waters, such as pleasure boats, ferries, hydrofoils and barges. They are already burning much cleaner fuels, with 0.5 per cent sulphur content. The government is proposing that all local vessels should use ultra-low sulphur diesel, which will help. A refinement to this proposal is to set a limit on emissions and allow owners to use other means to achieve the same emission levels as ultra-low sulphur diesel, since other technology may be able to achieve the same results.

The problem remains that oceangoing vessels are not included in this proposal and they are the heavy polluters burning bunker fuel. Let’s face facts. The container ports of Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou handle about 12 per cent of the global container traffic. This is an awful lot for a small body of water. Hong Kong and Shenzhen are, in fact, sister ports because of their proximity, and also because they share essentially the same investors and operators. And even if ships are heading for Shenzhen, many pass through Hong Kong waters and their emissions affect our residents.

In fact, all major port cities and cross-jurisdiction regions face the same problems. International maritime agreements on emissions have moved quite slowly. For example, oceangoing ships will only have to meet fuel standards with 3.5 per cent sulphur content by 2012, and perhaps 0.5 per cent by 2020. This is far too slow, so port authorities are taking the initiative to clean up marine emissions and related container-truck pollution.

The US ports of Seattle and Tacoma and their neighbouring Canadian port of Vancouver have formed an extensive partnership to maintain clean waterways and air quality. Its members include port operators, local environmental authorities and public health experts. The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are also co-operating to find solutions that include using financial incentives for ships to burn cleaner fuel as they enter Californian waters. European ports are exploring similar initiatives.

Hong Kong and Shenzhen are ideal partners to devise green port policies. The public should insist that it becomes part of the government’s push to work with Guangdong to improve air quality, and also make it an important element of cross-border collaboration. The good news is that many ship owners, liners and terminal operators are ready to act because their ships and overseas operations have already been forced to clean up. They know the global trend. The authorities here need to demand action so there is a level playing field. In other words, discriminate against the laggards, not those who can lead.

Hong Kong’s port is an economic lifeline – and one of its worst sources of pollution, writes Christine Loh

Low-hanging fruit is ripe for picking. But it can only be harvested at the optimal time. And, so, the government must move ahead to deal with marine and port-related emissions now because emission levels are rising, yet many stakeholders are ready to perform at a higher environmental level. By taking decisive action in the near future, the government will win political kudos.

The authorities have a duty to act if they are serious about protecting public health. Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta have some of the busiest ports in the world. Between 2001 and 2006, Hong Kong’s container throughput increased by about 32 per cent, from 17.8 million to 23.5 million 20-foot equivalent units (teus), a measurement for containerised tonnage. Our neighbour, Shenzhen, has also seen massive increases, from about 5 million teus in 2001 to nearly 18.5 million teus in 2006.

Millions of people in the region live and work close to ports and are directly exposed to very harmful levels of shipping and port-related emissions. After all, ship emissions come from the burning of bunker fuel, which is highly toxic. While in total tonnage terms, marine emissions are much less than from power plants, bunker fuel is nevertheless very dirty and its emissions affect more than 3 million people in Hong Kong, according to a government-commissioned study. Despite the lower quantity, ship emissions have a large negative impact on people’s health.

Moreover, port activities include the operation of many types of equipment, such as cranes, as well as tens of thousands of barges and trucks moving goods round the clock. They all burn lower-quality diesel and thus contribute to Hong Kong’s and the delta’s poor air quality. There is no doubt that old, polluting lorries are a major contributor to this city’s roadside pollution, which is desperately high.

While long-term predictions are less precise, current government-sponsored estimates show that our city may handle a staggering 40 million teus by 2030. With Shenzhen’s ports also growing quickly – some believe they will grow even faster – there is, in fact, an urgent need to clean up, otherwise the rising tonnage of cargo will become an even bigger public health threat.

Our ship owners know Hong Kong can do better. This is because their ships sail around the world and, in European and North American ports, there have been much greater efforts in recent years to promote green port policies to reduce the public health impact on port cities. Their ships have to improve their environmental performance when they dock at those ports, for example, by using cleaner fuels and reducing speed.

So, ship owners know they can do the same when their ships sail into Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and it would mean lower emissions for the residents of this region.

There is an additional cost component to using cleaner fuel. But if all ships entering a port have to meet the same tighter emissions levels, it is a new, level playing field. The ship owners insist that voluntary measures don’t work because there will always be the temptation for some to save costs by continuing to use dirtier fuel, for example.

Cargo terminal operators in Hong Kong have also started to use cleaner fuels for their equipment as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes. Since they are in fact global port operators, these companies are also affected by international trends. Some of the larger companies that operate various types of harbour craft – tugs and ferries – are also looking at what emissions improvements they can make and are providing key staff with environmental management training. The most difficult stakeholder group is the lorry operators, many of whom feel they are in a sunset industry. But, even here, better driving skills can help with fuel efficiency, leading to lower costs at a time when energy prices are very high.

The government needs to be willing to convene ongoing dialogue with the stakeholders to press home green port policies and work with the marine and port operation sector to explore a range of clean-up options.

Clean burning bio-diesel source under our noses

SCMP, Eric Ng, 2010-2-20

Every day hundreds of tonnes of waste cooking oil, grease and animal fat are discarded by Hong Kong’s 20,000-plus restaurants. The real waste is that it could be used as clean fuel in the city’s vehicles.

Some of the oil and fat is illegally smuggled to the mainland to be recycled as cooking oil, consumption of which is known to raise the risk of heart disease and cancer. But most of the material ends up in landfills.

Waste oil and fat can be processed into bio-diesel, a fuel that is cleaner burning than fossil fuel diesel, with no sulphur and much lower carbon gases and particulate emissions.

In Europe and the United States, government support has resulted in a vibrant bio-diesel industry, with most of the feedstock coming from plant oil, waste cooking oil and animal fat. But Hong Kong’s government is dragging its feet on similar measures, despite the fact bio-diesel could help improve the city’s dire air quality.

Germany requires diesel sold in the country to contain at least 4.4 per cent bio-diesel. In Spain, the ratio is 3.9 per cent and 7 per cent in France.

Other than a duty-free policy on bio-diesel and a new law passed last month stipulating the quality of bio-diesel, the Hong Kong government has yet to push through more aggressive policies to spur bio-diesel consumption.

The legislation, to take effect on July 1, requires bio-diesel sold on the market to comply with European EN 14214 standards. The statute aims to shore up consumer confidence and clamp down on illicit product.

But critics say more needs to be done by the government. One key measure needed is the mandatory blending of bio-diesel with fossil fuel diesel, something that has already been adopted in Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. The government also needs to mandate the use of bio-diesel in its own fleet of vehicles.

Despite the lack of local government support, the allure of future profits has attracted investors to the nascent industry. Several bio-diesel plants have already been built.

The biggest drawcard is Hong Kong’s hefty tax on fossil fuel, a hands-off policy on fuel pricing and the duty exemption on bio-diesel. That leaves plenty of profit margin for the clean fuel’s producers, provided they can get sufficient feedstock and open up sales channels.

In many developing nations, government fuel price controls leave less room for profits from bio-diesel.

Sha Tin-based Dynamic Progress International was the first company in Hong Kong to set up a bio-diesel plant two years ago. The company, 51 per cent-owned by listed electronics products maker Alltronics Holdings, started operating its plant in the government-built waste recycling EcoPark in Tuen Mun in September 2007.

Alltronics chairman Lam Yin-kee said that the plant had the capacity to produce around 16,500 tonnes of bio-diesel a year, a fraction of the around 4.5 million tonnes of diesel fuel consumed in Hong Kong annually.

The company in 2008 counted Kwai Fong’s Metro Plaza shopping mall and New Town Plaza in Sha Tin among its first sources of waste cooking oil, and supplies bio-diesel to two construction firms.

Dynamic executive director Steve Choi declined to provide updates on the plant’s utilisation and sales figures, or its sources of material and clients. He said he did not want his rivals to know about his business secrets, but added that the government can do more to promote bio-diesel usage.

According to Alltronics’ financial statements, the bio-diesel plant’s sales amounted to HK$207,000 in 2008. In last year’s first-half, it recorded sales of HK$1.08 million and an operating loss of HK$5.41 million.

Choi said instead of going through the time-consuming legislation process, it would be more efficient for the government to use other methods to promote the industry. That could include giving fuel distributors that blend bio-diesel into their fossil fuel diesel higher priority in winning tenders to operate fuel stations.

“The government doesn’t need to do a lot, just administrative measures can do the trick … we don’t need legislation,” he said. “We have already waited six years for the bill on  <147,1,0>bio-diesel quality specification to go through the Legislative Council … how many decades are there in one’s lifetime?”

A spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Bureau said blending more than 5 per cent of bio-diesel into fossil fuel diesel could result in “incompatibility problems” in car engine components.

“That is why we need time to develop a well balanced regulatory framework involving consultation with relevant stakeholders including bio-diesel suppliers, oil companies, vehicle suppliers and the transport trades as well as the environmental affairs panel of the Legislative Council,” she said.

The government was exploring ways to promote the use of bio-diesel in Hong Kong, she said, with the first step being to promote diesel containing up to 5 per cent bio-diesel in the government vehicle fleet.

“The EPD is consulting various departments on the compatibility of their fleet and plants/machines with [such diesel],” she added.

Andrew Kwan Ming-tak, chief executive of Champway Technology – Dynamic’s rival in the EcoPark – said the government’s classification of bio-diesel as a dangerous good had hampered its sales in the mass consumer market.

This means it can only be distributed in places that meet fire safety standards such as petrol stations, which require investment of over HK$100 million each to build.

Given Hong Kong’s vehicle fuel market is dominated by four big oil companies, and there is a lack of mandatory bio-diesel blending, there is little incentive for people to buy bio-diesel.

“While sales to large transportation companies with big fleets of vehicles are possible, since they buy diesel in bulk over long term contracts at hefty discounts from oil firms, it is difficult for small bio-diesel producers like us to compete on price,” Kwan said.

Champway hopes to obtain all of the more than 10 government licences and permits needed to start up its bio-diesel plant next month, with a goal to break even in three years. The project is partly backed by Goldsland Holdings, a unit of state-owned Guangdong Foreign Trade Group.

Champway plans to build a 29,200 tonne-a-year plant with an investment of over HK$50 million. Capacity can be expanded to 109,500 tonnes with an additional investment of around HK$100 million, Kwan added.

However, it expects to be able to collect only 20 to 30 tonnes of waste oil a day in the short term, around a third of the plant’s initial capacity. It faces keen competition from existing waste oil collectors, which offer to pay restaurants for their oil. Some of this oil is believed to be sold illegally to the mainland to be re-used in cooking.

Kwan suggested that the government designates waste cooking oil as specialised waste that needs to be collected or dumped by licensed operators, in order to eradicate illegal smuggling of waste cooking oil to the mainland. He also said the government could consider allowing restaurants to get reductions on their wastewater discharge fees, if they properly disposed of a certain amount of waste oil properly.

Both Dynamic and Champway will face competition from ASB Biodiesel (Hong Kong), majority owned by the Middle East’s Al Salam Bank-Bahrain and six strategic partners.

ASB expects to complete a 100,000 tonne-a-year bio-diesel plant in an 18,000 square metre site in Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate this year.

The project’s other shareholder is Hednesford, a Hong Kong company headed by Sjouke Postma, a Dutchman who has lived in Hong Kong for over 20 years and has worked on the project’s development for over a decade.

With an investment of US$100 million, the plant will use technology from Austria, which enables it to use multiple feedstocks, including waste cooking oil, grease trap waste, animal fat and palm fatty acid distillate.

Grease traps are plumbing devices that catch grease before kitchen waste water enters municipal sewage systems.

ASB chief executive Tom Uiterwaal said the plant’s output would be sold to both the European and Hong Kong markets.

The proportion of sales in the domestic market will depend on how soon the government implements a mandatory minimum bio-diesel blending policy, he said.

“In Hong Kong, a lot of roadside pollution comes from heavy commercial vehicles which can’t be solved by introducing electric cars. Bio-diesel is a solution to help solve Hong Kong’s air pollution problem.”

In Europe, bio-diesel consumption took off about five years ago due to the blending requirement. Consumption is projected to grow 14.3 per cent this year to 12 million tonnes.

More Reflective Roofs and Pavements Could Help Offset Climate Emissions

http://www.igsd.org/

Washington, DC, February 19, 2010

Increasing the reflectivity or “albedo” of roofs and pavements in urban areas could offset greenhouse gas emissions by a significant amount, according to a paper published last month in Environmental Research Letters. The research performed by scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center shows that a 25% and 15% increase in the albedos of roofs and pavements, respectively, in urban areas, could lead to an offset of approximately 57 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.

“Increasing urban albedo is something that should be done now to buy time for implementing other near-term and long-term climate mitigation strategies,” said Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development.

Surfaces with high albedo reflect more solar radiation, preventing the radiation from heating the surface and the atmosphere. Introducing “cool roofs” and more reflective paving materials could replace some of the albedo that has been lost through the melting of Arctic sea ice.

“Although it does not solve the root of the climate change problem – substantial reductions in CO2 and other climate forcers are essential for that – urban albedo can delay the onset of more severe climate impacts, and reduce the risk of passing the thresholds for abrupt and irreversible climate changes,” added Zaelke.

Because CO2 emissions can remain in the atmosphere for up to 1,000 years, there is an urgent need for complementary, fast mitigation measures that will result in significant near-term reductions to avoid passing the tipping points for abrupt climate change, which may only be decades away. In addition to increasing urban albedo, such strategies include reducing emissions of black carbon soot, methane, and tropospheric ozone, as well as using the Montreal Protocol ozone treaty to phase down hydrofluorocarbons, which could prevent the emissions of more than 100 billion tonnes of CO2-eq. by 2050. Carbon-negative measures such as better forest management and production of biochar will also be necessary to bring atmospheric concentrations of CO2 back down to safe levels.

For more information, see:

Radiative forcing and temperature response to changes in urban albedos and associated CO2 offsets by Surabi Menon, Hashem Akbari, Sarith Mahanama, Igor Sednev and Ronnen Levinson (Environmental Research Letters, Jan 2010).


Time for tougher action on polluting trucks

LEADER

17 Feb, 2010


Authorities should be tackling roadside air pollution as a matter of urgency. They claim that this is the case: the Environmental Bureau and Environmental Protection Department said in their last annual progress report that high public expectations meant this was a top priority. An ineffective scheme to get old, polluting vehicles off the streets tells a different story. If there was any interest in making the air we breathe less dangerous, adopted measures would be forceful, not feeble.

The two-year-old scheme ends in April, having made only a small dent in the number of diesel trucks, vans and buses made before 1995, to pre-Euro and Euro I emissions standards. Such vehicles are the main reason for the poor air quality along our streets. They burn fuel far less efficiently than newer models. The subsidy aimed at phasing them out was supposed to have retired most, but there are still 39,500 on the roads – about four-fifths of the original total. Such a low take-up rate shouldn’t be a surprise. The grant averages HK$43,000, a fraction of the cost of a new truck. Owners are only taking up the offer when their vehicles are no longer roadworthy. The government has sensibly decided to end the scheme.

The tiny particulates (PM2.5) in diesel fumes are the reason air quality monitoring stations along our busiest streets record excessively high readings. Young and old people and those with heart and lung problems are especially vulnerable. They will continue to be at risk while vehicles with engines that can’t use low-polluting diesel are on roads. Measures to improve circumstances have to be assertive.

Our government has a poor track record in this regard when it comes to the environment. Pressure from business groups mean its schemes are invariably voluntary or, in cases like idling vehicle engines, left in the too hard basket. Jobs and profits are important, but Hong Kong also needs to address the serious threat to public health from roadside emissions. Without stronger measures we will pay a heavy price in lives lost and debilitating illness.

City officials in other developed parts of the world have the right attitude. Older vehicles are banned from financial and shopping districts and owners are given hefty fines if rules are ignored. In addition to subsidies, attractive interest rates are offered on new cars and trucks. Vehicles over a certain age require higher licence and registration fees – a move lawmakers here, after hearing the pleas of lobbyists, rejected last year.

The government is capable of concerted action. This was amply proven with the successful first phase of the plastic bag levy and will surely also be the case when it is widened. It has introduced the highest European standard for diesel, Euro V, and the second-best for vehicle emissions, Euro IV. Financial incentives are offered for environmentally friendly cars. Action has been less forthcoming towards commercial transport. While almost all taxis have switched to liquid petroleum gas, only 60 per cent of minibuses use the low-polluting fuel. About 35 per cent of the commercial fleet is still using diesel of the lowest, most polluting, standards. Authorities claim to want them off the road as soon as possible, yet efforts are clearly not aimed at this target.

Years may yet pass before all old diesel vehicles are out of service. Greater incentives, higher fees, no-go zones and fines have to be implemented to get them off our streets. Idling engines have to be banned. Efforts must be legally binding, not voluntary.

Cash incentives for getting polluting vehicles off the roads branded a failure

SCMP

16th Feb, 2010

A subsidy aimed at encouraging owners of old, polluting diesel trucks and vans to replace them early is failing because most of the people taking the grant would be buying a new vehicle anyway as theirs are worn out, owners and academics say.

They say the low take-up rate of the grants shows the scheme is ineffective for phasing out dirty old commercial vehicles, with one academic calling for punitive measures to be considered instead.

The HK$3.2 billion voluntary replacement scheme expires at the end of next month. It was launched in April 2007 and targets commercial diesel vehicles registered before 1995, when the so-called Euro 1 emissions standards were launched, and the later Euro I vehicles.

Owners are eligible for grants if their new vehicles comply with the latest Euro IV standards, which are up to 30 times less polluting than the older ones.

By the end of January, the Environmental Protection Department had approved 13,798 applications, involving HK$595 million, just 18.6 per cent of the fund. Of the applications, 89.2 per cent involved goods vehicles, 6.9 per cent non-franchised buses and 3.8 per cent light buses.

There are about 39,500 such old vehicles on the roads, 23 per cent fewer than before the scheme. But the number of old vehicles taken off the roads include 3,000 that were simply deregistered by their owners.

Lai Kim-tak, chairman of the Medium and Heavy Truck Concern Group, said most subsidies went to owners who needed to buy a new truck, not people changing their vehicles earlier than necessary.

Goods vehicles make up 92 per cent of pre-Euro and Euro I commercial diesel vehicles on the roads.

Lai said the scheme was not attractive to truck owners because it offered them little financial help to buy a new vehicle. The average grant is HK$43,000, while a Euro IV truck costs between HK$650,000 and HK$800,000.

“The scheme did not spur our members to replace trucks earlier because the subsidy is small and trucks are so expensive. We buy a new truck when ours no longer work and then we apply for the fund,” he said. “But by that time, with or without the grant, we need to buy a new truck.”

Dr Alexis Lau Kai-hon, an associate professor in the environmental division at the University of Science and Technology, said this was not the aim of the scheme. “The aim is to make people speed up replacement of vehicles. It they don’t, it means the scheme is not effective. In other words, the money is not well spent.”

With the scheme proving a failure, the government should consider the threat of punishment to urge owners of dirty vehicles to switch, Lau said.

“Apart from carrots, there should be sticks in government policy,” he said. “The government should give a clear signal that environmental conservation is its policy direction.

“Look at the example of the plastic bag levy. Traders opposed it fearing it would harm their business. But the levy is working very well now.”

He suggested the government set up low-emission zones or raise licence fees for dirty old vehicles.

The Environmental Protection Department said it would not extend the scheme because that would be counter to its objective of encouraging owners to replace vehicles early.

Last month, the department said it would consider compelling owners to scrap their polluting vehicles. Last year, lawmakers rejected a proposal to increase licence fees for older vehicles, citing the economic downturn.

source: scmp

Green scheme for old trucks stalls

SCMP, Austin Chiu
Feb 16, 2010

A subsidy aimed at encouraging owners of old, polluting diesel trucks and vans to replace them early is failing because most of the people taking the grant would be buying a new vehicle anyway as theirs are worn out, owners and academics say.

They say the low take-up rate of the grants shows the scheme is ineffective for phasing out dirty old commercial vehicles, with one academic calling for punitive measures to be considered instead.

The HK$3.2 billion voluntary replacement scheme expires at the end of next month. It was launched in April 2007 and targets commercial diesel vehicles registered before 1995, when the so-called Euro 1 emissions standards were launched, and the later Euro I vehicles.

Owners are eligible for grants if their new vehicles comply with the latest Euro IV standards, which are up to 30 times less polluting than the older ones.

By the end of January, the Environmental Protection Department had approved 13,798 applications, involving HK$595 million, just 18.6 per cent of the fund. Of the applications, 89.2 per cent involved goods vehicles, 6.9 per cent non-franchised buses and 3.8 per cent light buses.

There are about 39,500 such old vehicles on the roads, 23 per cent fewer than before the scheme. But the number of old vehicles taken off the roads include 3,000 that were simply deregistered by their owners.

Lai Kim-tak, chairman of the Medium and Heavy Truck Concern Group, said most subsidies went to owners who needed to buy a new truck, not people changing their vehicles earlier than necessary.

Goods vehicles make up 92 per cent of pre-Euro and Euro I commercial diesel vehicles on the roads.

Lai said the scheme was not attractive to truck owners because it offered them little financial help to buy a new vehicle. The average grant is HK$43,000, while a Euro IV truck costs between HK$650,000 and HK$800,000.

“The scheme did not spur our members to replace trucks earlier because the subsidy is small and trucks are so expensive. We buy a new truck when ours no longer work and then we apply for the fund,” he said. “But by that time, with or without the grant, we need to buy a new truck.”

Dr Alexis Lau Kai-hon, an associate professor in the environmental division at the University of Science and Technology, said this was not the aim of the scheme. “The aim is to make people speed up replacement of vehicles. It they don’t, it means the scheme is not effective. In other words, the money is not well spent.”

With the scheme proving a failure, the government should consider the threat of punishment to urge owners of dirty vehicles to switch, Lau said.

“Apart from carrots, there should be sticks in government policy,” he said. “The government should give a clear signal that environmental conservation is its policy direction.

“Look at the example of the plastic bag levy. Traders opposed it fearing it would harm their business. But the levy is working very well now.”

He suggested the government set up low-emission zones or raise licence fees for dirty old vehicles.

The Environmental Protection Department said it would not extend the scheme because that would be counter to its objective of encouraging owners to replace vehicles early.

Last month, the department said it would consider compelling owners to scrap their polluting vehicles. Last year, lawmakers rejected a proposal to increase licence fees for older vehicles, citing the economic downturn.

Green scheme for old trucks stalls

SCMP, Austin Chiu
16th Feb, 2010

Cash incentives for getting polluting vehicles off the roads branded a failure

A subsidy aimed at encouraging owners of old, polluting diesel trucks and vans to replace them early is failing because most of the people taking the grant would be buying a new vehicle anyway as theirs are worn out, owners and academics say.

They say the low take-up rate of the grants shows the scheme is ineffective for phasing out dirty old commercial vehicles, with one academic calling for punitive measures to be considered instead.

The HK$3.2 billion voluntary replacement scheme expires at the end of next month. It was launched in April 2007 and targets commercial diesel vehicles registered before 1995, when the so-called Euro 1 emissions standards were launched, and the later Euro I vehicles.

Owners are eligible for grants if their new vehicles comply with the latest Euro IV standards, which are up to 30 times less polluting than the older ones.

By the end of January, the Environmental Protection Department had approved 13,798 applications, involving HK$595 million, just 18.6 per cent of the fund. Of the applications, 89.2 per cent involved goods vehicles, 6.9 per cent non-franchised buses and 3.8 per cent light buses.

There are about 39,500 such old vehicles on the roads, 23 per cent fewer than before the scheme. But the number of old vehicles taken off the roads include 3,000 that were simply deregistered by their owners.

Lai Kim-tak, chairman of the Medium and Heavy Truck Concern Group, said most subsidies went to owners who needed to buy a new truck, not people changing their vehicles earlier than necessary.

Goods vehicles make up 92 per cent of pre-Euro and Euro I commercial diesel vehicles on the roads.

Lai said the scheme was not attractive to truck owners because it offered them little financial help to buy a new vehicle. The average grant is HK$43,000, while a Euro IV truck costs between HK$650,000 and HK$800,000.

“The scheme did not spur our members to replace trucks earlier because the subsidy is small and trucks are so expensive. We buy a new truck when ours no longer work and then we apply for the fund,” he said. “But by that time, with or without the grant, we need to buy a new truck.”

Dr Alexis Lau Kai-hon, an associate professor in the environmental division at the University of Science and Technology, said this was not the aim of the scheme. “The aim is to make people speed up replacement of vehicles. It they don’t, it means the scheme is not effective. In other words, the money is not well spent.”

With the scheme proving a failure, the government should consider the threat of punishment to urge owners of dirty vehicles to switch, Lau said.

“Apart from carrots, there should be sticks in government policy,” he said. “The government should give a clear signal that environmental conservation is its policy direction.

“Look at the example of the plastic bag levy. Traders opposed it fearing it would harm their business. But the levy is working very well now.”

He suggested the government set up low-emission zones or raise licence fees for dirty old vehicles.

The Environmental Protection Department said it would not extend the scheme because that would be counter to its objective of encouraging owners to replace vehicles early.

Last month, the department said it would consider compelling owners to scrap their polluting vehicles. Last year, lawmakers rejected a proposal to increase licence fees for older vehicles, citing the economic downturn.