Hong Kong Leader Claims Visibility, Not Air Quality, More Important - AFP

[hatrack]

As Hong Kong's storied harbour-front skyline disappears beneath a cloud of thickening pollution, city leaders are being accused of ignoring a problem activists say it could soon be too late to fix. While environmental, tourism and business lobbies urge the government to take action to restore Hong Kong's formerly clear skies, chief executive Donald Tsang told local radio that the pall of pollution hanging over the city is a crisis of visibility rather than of public health.

In comments on the radio and during a major speech to businessmen, Tsang stressed the problems of murky skies caused by rising smog rather than evidence that emissions are causing severe health problems. "Why do people feel that they don't see, that the air is poorer? It is a question of visibility," Tsang told a phone-in programme on local RTHK radio over the weekend. "Is the air right? Not so," he said. "Small particulates, which (are) coming from the mainland (China) may not affect us or the thing we breath but it affects our feeling that the air is not as good as before."

Later, in a speech to the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, he reiterated his position by trying to separate the issue of visibility from air quality. "Visibility of course is a question of degree. We are talking about small particulates. Do not equate visibility directly with just very bad air. We are doing our best. Visibility is important. What about blue skies? Blue skies implies visibility and for that reason that certainly is my priority."

Activists were quick to pounce, saying the China-backed chief executive had missed the point and accusing his government of being hour of touch. "It just shows the low level of understanding of the issue at the highest levels of government," Christine Loh, who heads the liberal Civic Exchange think tank, told AFP. "The government is in a state of denial," Loh added. "If they don't understand how bad things are, then they won't be able to work fast enough to solve the problem."

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/HK_Leader_Under_Fire_For_Doing_Too_Little_Too_Late_On_Pollution_999.html

Sounds like he'd be a good for the Bush EPA. :eyes: