The importance of protecting our natural beauty against pollution

    Updated: 2013-10-04 07:13

    By Bill Condon(HK Edition)

      Print Mail Large Medium  Small 分享按鈕 0

    With the ever-increasing number of high profile voices joining the fray about the housing shortage in Hong Kong, we must not lose sight of the fact that this situation has been allowed to occur over time. It has resulted from the inability or the unwillingness of respective authorities to deal with the problem in a manner that puts public interest ahead of others with vested interests in housing policy. This situation has evolved during a time when housing, like so many of the fundamentals required to uphold adequate levels of prosperity, opportunity, competitiveness and economic relevance, have been sacrificed for no reason. At the same time our foreign-exchange reserves have reached the astronomical figure of almost $304 billion in August, which is an unjustifiable excess that has been encouraged to prevail. Decisions not to allocate sufficient funding to address the shortage of housing and other important issues over time have compounded many of the problems facing us today.

    Some of recent comments emanating from senior figures relating to the development of our country parks are deeply worrying.

    A former chief secretary recently proposed developing a parkland wonderland in South Lantau "with nature trails, bicycle tracks and flats". One can only assume that the gentleman concerned has not ventured anywhere near South Lantau in recent years. It really is very difficult to imagine that this proposed nirvana would make any meaningful contribution to the lives of ordinary people or on the affordable housing targets set by the current administration.

    Mui Wo in South Lantau boasts a beautiful natural harbor. Unfortunately a cement factory, a truck park, a bus station and a run-down food market blight the shoreline. Thankfully the view of Hong Kong Island has not been disrupted by the proposed super prison and access bridge, as those plans were shelved as a result of the ensuing public outcry. Anywhere else on the planet an area boasting such natural beauty would be developed in an appropriate manner.

    For much of the year and in most locations including Lantau Island, residents of Hong Kong will sadly be peering into a murky, grey haze of pollutants that in most advanced economies would be deemed unacceptable. The cost of this to the health and the well-being of the very young, the very old and the broader community is becoming more evident on a daily basis with respiratory infections soaring in recent years.

    The Air Pollution Index warnings are regularly hitting levels that would be deemed critical in other cities. Unfortunately there is much that has not been recorded, presumably in an effort to avoid having to share more bad news with the general public. The data available from monitoring stations is a far cry from World Health Organization minimum requirements but the tendency to skirt around the issue remains firm. Poor air quality has a negative impact on the lives of everyone living in the territory but some places and people are more badly affected than others.

    Unfortunately the real cost will probably become more evident and more easily diagnosed in the coming 10 to 20 years when the overall impact on health can be better assessed and when the funding for related illness becomes a greater burden on the health service.

    Environmental protection is vital to the overall social and economic well-being of the territory and our country parks remain one of the few tangible and potentially valuable assets that we possess. Unfortunately the "brain trust" that supports and understands their true value and the importance of environmental protection may lack the power and influence required for government to address the key issues and drive change at an appropriate pace.

    The opportunity exists and the funding is available to take major strides forward and become an influencing force in environmental protection in the region and this would go some way towards ensuring that "Asia's world city" is not simply a hollow marketing slogan.

    The author is the founder & chairman of the Multitude Foundation. He is the also the director of the Irish Chamber of Commerce of Macau and director of the Ireland Fund of China.

    (HK Edition 10/04/2013 page9)

    国产乱子伦精品无码专区| 亚洲中文字幕丝袜制服一区| 线中文在线资源 官网| 精品无人区无码乱码毛片国产| 国产精品99久久久精品无码| 亚洲AV无码一区二区一二区| 无码国产精品一区二区免费虚拟VR | 免费无码作爱视频| 91中文字幕在线观看| HEYZO无码综合国产精品| 精品无码国产自产在线观看水浒传 | 少妇无码AV无码专区在线观看| 开心久久婷婷综合中文字幕| 亚洲无码视频在线| 国产精品无码日韩欧| 亚洲AV无码不卡无码| 中文字幕人妻在线视频不卡乱码| 中文字幕一区二区人妻| 天堂无码在线观看| 国产爆乳无码视频在线观看| 亚洲AV无码专区国产乱码4SE| 中文字幕无码成人免费视频| 最近免费视频中文字幕大全| www.中文字幕| 中文字幕在线观看| 日本乱偷人妻中文字幕在线| 波多野结衣中文字幕免费视频| 亚洲不卡无码av中文字幕| 久久久久久亚洲精品无码| 国产成A人亚洲精V品无码性色| 18禁黄无码高潮喷水乱伦| 毛片无码免费无码播放| 国产精品99精品无码视亚| 在线看无码的免费网站| 精品无码国产自产拍在线观看蜜 | 无码孕妇孕交在线观看| 亚洲AV无码1区2区久久| 日韩人妻无码精品久久久不卡| 日韩精品久久无码中文字幕| 久久精品国产亚洲AV无码偷窥| 狠狠躁天天躁无码中文字幕图|