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With remarkably little fanfare, an extraordinary event in Hong Kong’s
modern history occurred two years ago: someone actually did something
about cleaning up our filthy air. Now, two years later, it is up to our
public officials to make these temporary gains permanent.
Emissions from ships and port activity are a significant source of pollution in Hong Kong and, because the vessels are often close to shore, they have an outsized harmful effect on public health. Few landlubbers are aware that the principal source of energy on ocean going vessels is “bunker fuel”, a sulfurous, highly-polluting sludge the consistency of mud. Starting in 2007, the Hong Kong-based non-profit think tank, Civic Exchange, embarked upon a multi-year odyssey that led to the birth of the Fair Winds Charter, a pioneering effort to reduce air pollution generated by the shipping sector. Signatories to the Fair Winds Charter voluntarily agree to use a cleaner, more expensive fuel while at berth in Hong Kong (which accounts for about 40% of total emissions by these big ships while they’re in Hong Kong waters), thereby reducing the amount of nasty air we breathe on shore. The Fair Winds Charter is a voluntary agreement signed by 18 container, passenger and specialist shipping companies which comprise 80% of the international shipping traffic calling at Hong Kong. All of the major international shipping companies have signed up. The agreement came about after Civic Exchange’s tireless efforts to organize more than 80 meetings over several years between scientists, ship owners, container terminal operators, fuel suppliers, ferry operators, cross-border trucking companies and government officials. Apart from its purely voluntary nature, a key aspect of the original Four Winds Charter is that it is a temporary measure only. Its two-year life cycle began in January 2011 and it is set to expire less than eight months from now, on 31 December 2012.
There are several reasons why the initial agreement is a temporary one, but the main reason is that companies which voluntary comply with the Charter and use the cleaner, more expensive fuel to power their vessels operate at a cost disadvantage relative to those competitors who keep on using dirtier, cheaper fuel. The two-year window was designed to give the Hong Kong government sufficient time to introduce legislation so that all ships were playing by the same rules and bearing the same costs, thereby creating a level playing field for all shipping companies while permanently improving the quality of the air we breathe. Of course, it looks like our government masters have been too busy settling into their luxurious offices in Government Palace and calculating their latest pay rise to get around to cleaning up our air. They’re behind schedule and the voluntary Four Winds Charter is set to expire at year-end, before remedial legislation is in place. Now, not everyone agrees with the hysterical, apocalyptic visions of the climate change crowd. However, when it comes to clean air, we’re all environmentalists now; we’re all on the same team. No one is in favor of air pollution, including, in many instances, the polluters themselves. However, since it’s cheaper to pollute than to comply, government must take a hand. Environmental protection is one of those rare activities which private markets do not perform better than government and, indeed, it is one of those singular areas where government must play a leading role. In the Fair Winds Charter, a diverse group of civic-minded activists and right-minded corporate citizens have banded together to improve the quality of life for all of Hong Kong’s citizens. The voluntary code of conduct they devised has a two-year lease, and it expires at the end of this year. It’s up to the Hong Kong government, in its legislative and executive branches, to pick up that lease and make it permanent.
Paul Curley has lived in Hong Kong since June 1989.
We’re all environmentalists now.
Emissions from ships and port activity are a significant source of pollution in Hong Kong and, because the vessels are often close to shore, they have an outsized harmful effect on public health. Few landlubbers are aware that the principal source of energy on ocean going vessels is “bunker fuel”, a sulfurous, highly-polluting sludge the consistency of mud. Starting in 2007, the Hong Kong-based non-profit think tank, Civic Exchange, embarked upon a multi-year odyssey that led to the birth of the Fair Winds Charter, a pioneering effort to reduce air pollution generated by the shipping sector. Signatories to the Fair Winds Charter voluntarily agree to use a cleaner, more expensive fuel while at berth in Hong Kong (which accounts for about 40% of total emissions by these big ships while they’re in Hong Kong waters), thereby reducing the amount of nasty air we breathe on shore. The Fair Winds Charter is a voluntary agreement signed by 18 container, passenger and specialist shipping companies which comprise 80% of the international shipping traffic calling at Hong Kong. All of the major international shipping companies have signed up. The agreement came about after Civic Exchange’s tireless efforts to organize more than 80 meetings over several years between scientists, ship owners, container terminal operators, fuel suppliers, ferry operators, cross-border trucking companies and government officials. Apart from its purely voluntary nature, a key aspect of the original Four Winds Charter is that it is a temporary measure only. Its two-year life cycle began in January 2011 and it is set to expire less than eight months from now, on 31 December 2012.
There are several reasons why the initial agreement is a temporary one, but the main reason is that companies which voluntary comply with the Charter and use the cleaner, more expensive fuel to power their vessels operate at a cost disadvantage relative to those competitors who keep on using dirtier, cheaper fuel. The two-year window was designed to give the Hong Kong government sufficient time to introduce legislation so that all ships were playing by the same rules and bearing the same costs, thereby creating a level playing field for all shipping companies while permanently improving the quality of the air we breathe. Of course, it looks like our government masters have been too busy settling into their luxurious offices in Government Palace and calculating their latest pay rise to get around to cleaning up our air. They’re behind schedule and the voluntary Four Winds Charter is set to expire at year-end, before remedial legislation is in place. Now, not everyone agrees with the hysterical, apocalyptic visions of the climate change crowd. However, when it comes to clean air, we’re all environmentalists now; we’re all on the same team. No one is in favor of air pollution, including, in many instances, the polluters themselves. However, since it’s cheaper to pollute than to comply, government must take a hand. Environmental protection is one of those rare activities which private markets do not perform better than government and, indeed, it is one of those singular areas where government must play a leading role. In the Fair Winds Charter, a diverse group of civic-minded activists and right-minded corporate citizens have banded together to improve the quality of life for all of Hong Kong’s citizens. The voluntary code of conduct they devised has a two-year lease, and it expires at the end of this year. It’s up to the Hong Kong government, in its legislative and executive branches, to pick up that lease and make it permanent.
Paul Curley has lived in Hong Kong since June 1989.
We’re all environmentalists now.
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