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CSR Asia’s CSR briefing in Hong Kong this month addressed the issue of air pollution with two outstanding speakers shedding light on the challenge– the one an impassioned environmentalist and the other a business leader. While Joanne Ooi, CEO of Clean Air Network and Tim Smith, CEO of Maersk Line in North Asia, could not have been more different in terms of their professional backgrounds, they shared similar views on how to tackle the problem of air pollution – through proactive business practices and engagement with governments to set necessary regulations.
A public opinion survey released this month by policy think tank Civic Exchange paints a bleak picture of the situation. Air pollution has become a serious health crisis and one in four Hong Kong residents is considering emigrating because of this, up from one in five in 2008. This is close to 2 million people and largely includes those that are wealthier, better educated, and employed as managers or professionals.
These findings are supported by global surveys published earlier this year. In April 2010 a Gallup survey found that 70 percent of Hong Kong people – more than anywhere else on the planet – were dissatisfied with air quality.
These figures indicate that air pollution has reached a level at which it is affecting Hong Kong’s competitive position. An earlier Gallup survey of 148 jurisdictions between 2007 and 2010 on migration flows rated Hong Kong with a net loss of 12 per cent, i.e. more people seek to leave the city than want to come here. In contrast, Singapore topped the chart with 219 per cent net inflow.
Complete article at:
http://csr-asia.com/weekly_detail.php?id=12217
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