Pollution always this bad?
- Thread starter Ali71
- Start date
I get upset when people say we should do something about the pollution- because it is stopping expats from coming to HK etc.
As an expat who calls HK home, and has called HK home for a long time, I couldn't care less if the pollution is driving new or potential expats away.
What I care about is the effect the pollution is having on my son's health, and the health of every other baby/child in HK; and the effect it's having on myself, my husband and every other person who breathes it in!
I think it's a litle selfish to live in a country and to say,' what do I care, I'm only here for two years, let the locals deal with,'
I agree that it is our responsiblity, we after all will be feeling the long term effects of the pollution but I think all of us that currently live in HK (Long term or short term) have a role to play in helping to combat pollution!
We can each do our part and it sounds like a lot of people already are doing what they can.
I see no harm in us voicing our views on this website (it's a great way to vent) but I also don't see how it is going to make anything concrete happen.....so it might prevent other expats from moving to HK...so???? How does that make the air cleaner for my family?
However I think it's also time we started making our voices heard in a bigger way....let's write to the Chief Executive, let's protest....I agree that universal suffrage is the ultimate goal, and with that hopefully will come a more responsive govt. who is determined to do something about the pollution.
If anyone has any ideas for any concrete action they would like to take, I am more than happy to participate!
As an expat who calls HK home, and has called HK home for a long time, I couldn't care less if the pollution is driving new or potential expats away.
What I care about is the effect the pollution is having on my son's health, and the health of every other baby/child in HK; and the effect it's having on myself, my husband and every other person who breathes it in!
I think it's a litle selfish to live in a country and to say,' what do I care, I'm only here for two years, let the locals deal with,'
I agree that it is our responsiblity, we after all will be feeling the long term effects of the pollution but I think all of us that currently live in HK (Long term or short term) have a role to play in helping to combat pollution!
We can each do our part and it sounds like a lot of people already are doing what they can.
I see no harm in us voicing our views on this website (it's a great way to vent) but I also don't see how it is going to make anything concrete happen.....so it might prevent other expats from moving to HK...so???? How does that make the air cleaner for my family?
However I think it's also time we started making our voices heard in a bigger way....let's write to the Chief Executive, let's protest....I agree that universal suffrage is the ultimate goal, and with that hopefully will come a more responsive govt. who is determined to do something about the pollution.
If anyone has any ideas for any concrete action they would like to take, I am more than happy to participate!
Bekyboo44, we all care about our kid's health, as we do the health of all children living in HK but unfortunately it is not expats that will make a difference in this city. HK is a hugely consumer city ruled by the almighty dollar. As is the Mainland. Neither will do anything to combat pollution if it has a negative impact on the economy. You can march and write letters all you want but until there is money to be made from reducing pollution nothing is going to happen. Beijing had a car free day and made it optional. Yeah right.. This is a country that makes token efforts to tackle non-financial issues that are important to its people.
Jonathanmommy
Registered User
I think you have made yourself clear that you are extremely unhappy about Hong Kong: the horrible air condition, the fact that it is hugely money driven, no one cares about non-financial issues, etc. etc. (again, why did you come here if your perception is all so negative?)
You have also made it clear that Hong Kong is not home to you so you will leave the air problem to the locals to fix.
Well, it seems that you just enjoy writing all these for the sake of critcism (it is completely ok, freedom of speech here), which is so easy to do. But it seems a bit hypocritical to sound so righteous about this environmental issue but yet reluctant to even write a simple letter to the authority.
You have also made it clear that Hong Kong is not home to you so you will leave the air problem to the locals to fix.
Well, it seems that you just enjoy writing all these for the sake of critcism (it is completely ok, freedom of speech here), which is so easy to do. But it seems a bit hypocritical to sound so righteous about this environmental issue but yet reluctant to even write a simple letter to the authority.
Bree, you are feisty.
I love the blatant refusal that you and a few others display to actually read what people write, all of it, before trying to shoot them down. If you had read any of my other posts you would see that I love Hong Kong. I've said on many occasions, here and on Geoexpat that if the pollution wasn't so bad it would be an ideal place to live. I've publicly lamented that the pollution is turning what was once one of the most beautiful cities in the world into one of the least desirable places to live for those with a choice.
I didn't realise that criticising two aspects of a country was not allowed and automatically meant I hated it... My criticisms of HK were meant to defend my position that expats will never be able to change the pollution problem- they were not criticisms for the sake of criticising as you say. In a forum it is expected that people will defend their positions, that's what forums are about.
Regardless, I would be very eager to sign any letter you write for any person of consequence that you think would read it. I won't stay here much longer as my children's health is more important to me than everything else but I'm happy to try and do my bit to make HK a better place to live for those who stay.
I love the blatant refusal that you and a few others display to actually read what people write, all of it, before trying to shoot them down. If you had read any of my other posts you would see that I love Hong Kong. I've said on many occasions, here and on Geoexpat that if the pollution wasn't so bad it would be an ideal place to live. I've publicly lamented that the pollution is turning what was once one of the most beautiful cities in the world into one of the least desirable places to live for those with a choice.
I didn't realise that criticising two aspects of a country was not allowed and automatically meant I hated it... My criticisms of HK were meant to defend my position that expats will never be able to change the pollution problem- they were not criticisms for the sake of criticising as you say. In a forum it is expected that people will defend their positions, that's what forums are about.
Regardless, I would be very eager to sign any letter you write for any person of consequence that you think would read it. I won't stay here much longer as my children's health is more important to me than everything else but I'm happy to try and do my bit to make HK a better place to live for those who stay.
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I think a lot of confusion has sprung in this post by the use of the word expat. as it obviously means different things to many people, and there are diff. kinds of expats- for example, those that are here on short term contracts and who don't intend to stay beyond that; and those of us who have made HK home, having been here for many years.
As a permanent resident, and expat., I would like to think that my opinion, voice and vote mattered....wether it does or not with HK's current political system is a diff. argument altogether.
I agree with you aussigal- HK and China are both, rather unfortunetly ruled by the dollar as opposed to anything else and it saddens me that this should be the case! (A good book on this is, 'The Coming Collapse of China,' Gordon S. Chang)
However I refuse to accept that we can not make our voices heard....(naive and foolish as this may seem),
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
(Martin Niemoller)
- So shall we write a letter, I know it doesn't sound like much, but this is obviously an issue that many people quite strongly about
and so why not put our ideas/issues to print and our signatures to it!
- We can address it to, Donald Tsang and perhaps send it to the SCMP, as an open letter from 'The Mothers of Hong Kong.'
Am just throwing some ideas around, so please let me know your thoughts!
As a permanent resident, and expat., I would like to think that my opinion, voice and vote mattered....wether it does or not with HK's current political system is a diff. argument altogether.
I agree with you aussigal- HK and China are both, rather unfortunetly ruled by the dollar as opposed to anything else and it saddens me that this should be the case! (A good book on this is, 'The Coming Collapse of China,' Gordon S. Chang)
However I refuse to accept that we can not make our voices heard....(naive and foolish as this may seem),
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
(Martin Niemoller)
- So shall we write a letter, I know it doesn't sound like much, but this is obviously an issue that many people quite strongly about
and so why not put our ideas/issues to print and our signatures to it!- We can address it to, Donald Tsang and perhaps send it to the SCMP, as an open letter from 'The Mothers of Hong Kong.'
Am just throwing some ideas around, so please let me know your thoughts!
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Jonathanmommy
Registered User
I think it is a great idea, an open letter to Donald Tsang through SCMP. How about the Standard too? I don't know how it works to submit anything to the newspaper. Anyone has any ideas?