DocMartin Williams

From a Columbia University press release:

“This study provides direct evidence that governmental action to eliminate polluting coal-burning sources benefits children’s neurodevelopment,” said Frederica Perera, DrPH, professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health, director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, and lead author of the study. “These findings have major implications for environmental health and energy policy as they demonstrate that reduction in dependence on coal for energy can have a measurable positive impact on children’s development and health – in China and elsewhere.”

Closure of Coal-Burning Power Plant in China Directly Linked to Improved Cognitive Development in Children

for more on study in Tongliang, in Scientific American, see: Is China’s Pollution Poisoning Its Children?

I went to Lantau Island yesterday, for short hike at Ngong Ping. Several landslides were very obvious, including blocking trails.

Here’s the largest landslide we saw – above Shek Pik Reservoir (from the bus). Clearly, ripped through Lantau Trail section that leads down from beside Ngong Ping; and I’d think it will be quite some time before this stretch of trail can be restored.

Heading uphill, the bus passed a section of road – near turn off to Ngong Ping – where a landslide had evidently at least partly blocked the road.

At Ngong Ping, we walked towards the Nei Lak Shan Country Trail, to start at the end near where a trail drops down to Tung Chung. A guy warned us this was blocked, and we would have to burn back, but as we’d walked along past the Tea Gardens, hadn’t seen scarring on the hillside, so thought we’d give it a go.

Here’s a shot looking east northeast from the Nei Lak Shan trail, towards northern slopes of Sunset Peak. Clearly, several landslides scar the landscape; tho I wasn’t sure if and where they have cut through trails.

We walked along the trail, taking the route around southern slope of Nei Lak Shan – great views over Ngong Ping. Eventually came to a landslide as reached the end of the trail, near junction where can walk right, and perhaps follow remainder of the circuit the trail makes around Nei Lak Shan. We crossed this without much difficulty, tho needed care; helped that the weather had been dry (and that it was a few days since the landslide, so slope somewhat stabilised).
From here, walked down, to meet the main trail that runs close by the Lantau Skyrail; walked down to this over a v small landslide. Looked like landslie material had been cleared from this path; if so, I’d reckon as it’s important for Skyrail (inc emergency access).

Then, turned towards Ngong Ping. Crossed lower part of the landslide we had walked over a few minutes before; here, the landslide had clearly rushed down a ravine, sliced through a path made of concrete and rocks.

eRecent email from Civic Exchang

Civic Exchange’s Latest Publication

 A Price Too High:

Health Impacts of Air Pollution in Southern China

10,000 deaths a year in southern China: can the region’s inhabitants afford to wait?

New data on health costs for Hong Kong, Macao and the Pearl River Delta

Hong Kong-based think tank Civic Exchange released a groundbreaking study today entitled A Price Too High – Health Impacts of Air Pollution in southern China. The study – conducted by leading health, science and public policy experts – reveals new regional data on the health costs of poor air quality. Annual deaths attributable to air pollution – based on 2006 data – are estimated at 10,000 in Hong Kong, Macau and the Pearl River Delta, with over 90% occurring in the Pearl River Delta. Air pollution is also responsible for 440,000 annual hospital bed-days and 11 million annual outpatient visits throughout the region.

In money terms, the hospital bed-days, lost productivity and doctor visits associated with this health impact cost RMB 1.8 billion a year in the PRD, HK$ 1.1 billion in Hong Kong, and HK$ 18 million in Macao. Adjusted for differences in gross domestic product across the region, the health-related monetary costs of air pollution in the PRD amount to RMB 6.7 billion.

In spite of the enormous health costs of deteriorating air quality, there is surprisingly little research in the region into the links between air pollution and poor health. According to the study, in the past 25 years only 147 such reports have been conducted for all of mainland China, with only 37 of those concerned with Southern China. The current air pollution indexes used in Hong Kong and the PRD are not merely insufficient but misleading, as they are not directly linked with health protection.

Full report and presentation are available on Civic Exchange website:

Full Report:

http://www.civic-exchange.org/eng/upload/files/200806_pricetoohigh.pdf

《代價難償：南中國地區空氣污染對健康的影響》

南中國地區全年1萬人死亡：居民還能等待嗎？

最新數據發表香港、澳門及珠江三角洲醫療成本

思匯政策研究所今天以「代價難償：南中國地區空氣污染對健康的影響」為題發表了最新研究報告。由頂尖科學家、衛生及公共政策專家進行的研究，顯示了由於空氣質素惡劣帶來了沉重的健康代價。保守估計，2006年的空氣污染水平在香港、澳門及珠江三角洲大約導致全年有1萬人死亡，其中絕大部分(94%)在珠江三角洲發生。空氣污染同時引致全年44萬住院病床日數，以及每年1千1百萬診所求診次數。

與空氣污染影響有關的住院病床日數、生産力的損失及醫生求診數字，估計成本約為珠江三角洲每年18億人民幣，香港11億港元及澳門1千8百萬港元。根據區内各地生産總值的差異作調整後，珠江三角洲與空氣污染有關的全年醫療成本是67億人民幣。

空氣污染雖然帶來龐大的醫療開支，有關空氣污染及健康的研究卻意外地出現嚴重不足的情況。過去25年，全中國一共發表了147篇關於空氣污染和公衆健康的文章，但當中只有37篇與南中國相關。現時的空氣污染指數，既不能滿足市民對空氣質量資訊的要求，同時亦會引來誤導，因爲指數並不直接反映市民所要面對的健康風險。

請瀏覽思匯政策研究所網頁索取報告全文及演說內容：

報告全文：

http://www.civic-exchange.org/eng/upload/files/200806_pricetoohigh.pdf

Civic Exchange is a non-profit public policy think tank based in Hong Kong that helps to improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis. For more information about Civic Exchange, please visit http://www.civic-exchange.org