Hong Kong should drive towards a sustainable tomorrow
Updated: 2013-11-05 07:11
By Nicholas Brooke(HK Edition)
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Freedom of mobility is one of the great pleasures in life. Here in Hong Kong, the city is particularly blessed with a full breadth of transportation options that meet almost every need. However, if such options could also be environmentally sustainable, then the SAR would certainly be a model that governments across Asia would seek to emulate. Even though the Hong Kong administration has pushed ahead with a number of initiatives aimed at tackling roadside pollution, a more holistic approach that considers other facets of mobility, such as energy conservation and public connectivity, should also be emphasized.
While the rising presence of electric and hybrid vehicles suggests that a preferential first-registration tax is achieving its desired goal, and the establishment of a HK$300-million Pilot Green Transport Fund to support testing of green and innovative transport technologies is a welcome measure, there are still other thoughtful solutions worth putting on the table, as cities, including Stockholm, clearly highlight. As part of their government's efforts to develop and operate a more resource-efficient transport networks, all inner-city buses now run either on biogas or ethanol. Taking a leaf out of London's book, Stockholm has also been imposing a congestion charge on motorists commuting in and out of the city during the daytime. Implemented back in 2006, the initiative has led to an estimated CO emissions reduction of 30,000 tonnes annually. In addition, Stockholm has sought to become Europe's cycling capital by upgrading and building cycling lanes that are convenient and safe to use. Indicative of their success, cycling has doubled in the Swedish capital since 1990. Given the efficiency of public transport, efforts are also being made to encourage more Stockholmers to leave their cars at home. Initiatives aimed at enticing locals "to go public" include providing real-time information at bus stops and on commuter train platforms, and allowing mobile and web subscribers to have tailored travel information, such as details about their personal journeys, thus facilitating the planning of more time-efficient trips in the future.
The strategies that have been implemented or set to be implemented in Stockholm are not unlike some of the solutions that are now being developed by partner companies at Hong Kong Science Park. These innovators include companies involved in advanced battery research for electric vehicles (EV) and web applications, the latter being developed to enable EV owners to locate the nearest charging stations, reserve charging points and assess the amount of charge that their vehicle has achieved in real time. Generating much media and public attention recently has been the opening of Hong Kong's largest biodiesel plant at Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate, by another partner company of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC). Specifically constructed to convert used cooking oil - up to 45 percent of which will be collected from Hong Kong restaurants - into biodiesel, the plant operated by ASB Biodiesel will have an annual production capacity of approximately 100,000 metric tonnes. The significance of biodiesel produced from used cooking oil is that it emits at least 85 percent less greenhouse gases than its fossil-fuel counterpart. This would seem to perfectly complement the government's proposal to provide subsidies for phasing out more than 80,000 pre-Euro IV commercial diesel vehicles by 2020, and for them to be replaced with much cleaner Euro IV and V vehicles.
Apart from the efforts made by partner companies, HKSTPC has taken direct steps to encourage greener mobility as well. In addition to providing quick charging facilities for EV motorists, it was among the first group of organizations to support CLP's EV leasing scheme back in 2011. To encourage information exchange and cooperation leading to further innovations, including sustainable mobility, HKSTPC also established alliances with cities and countries that are leaders in green technologies, such as Malm and Scotland.
In view of the multifaceted nature of sustainable mobility, it is clear that only a multi-solution approach will suffice. Along with protecting the social fabric of Hong Kong, sustainable mobility will also create fresh opportunities that will help the city move further towards its goal to develop a knowledge-based economy, which remains paramount for Hong Kong's long-term growth.
The author is chairman of the HKSTPC.
(HK Edition 11/05/2013 page1)