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Hong
Kong is plagued by poor air quality and Secretary for the
Environment Edward Yau Tang-wah, has said the administration is
considering banning idling vehicles.
Idling vehicles not only emit nitrogen oxides and respirable
suspended particulates, but also carbon dioxide which is a major
greenhouse gas.
Unlike all other air pollutants generated by fossil-fuel powered
vehicles which can be reduced through various means, the carbon in
petrol is completely converted to carbon dioxide (CO2). This
includes carbon monoxide resulting from incomplete combustion which
will turn into CO2 eventually. Each litre of petrol emits
approximately 2.3-2.4kg of CO2. In terms of a 1,500-2,000cc car, the
annual CO2 emission is 2.9 tonnes for vehicles travelling in Hong
Kong Island, 3.15 tonnes in Kowloon and 2.96 tonnes in the New
Territories. If you are a car owner and do not usually take
passengers, it already accounts for half of total per capita Hong
Kong greenhouse gas emissions which is about 5.5 tonnes each year.
Last year, all the private cars in Hong Kong emitted, approximately,
a total of 1 billion kg of CO2. The MTR emitted only 55 million kg
of CO2 last year (if you only look at the operation of the railway).
Thus, using more public transport is certainly better for the
environment. This Saturday is World Car Free Day. All car owners
could make our air a bit cleaner by not driving on the day.
Driving one day less each year will not save the planet, but
car-free day is a start. Many mainland cities such as Beijing and
Shenzhen have already implemented drive one day less a month
campaigns. The Conservancy Association hopes people will care more
about the environment, and rely less on private cars. Our ultimate
goal is to maximise the use of public transport, especially railways
and to minimise the use of private cars. Of course, before we tell
everyone to get rid of their cars, the present public transport
system needs to be optimised. |
