I couldn't see the sea yesterday when I woke up. When I got to work (in Cyberport) it was even worse; I could not see Lamma Island out of my window...normally I have a great view...but, no such luck yesterday. China is understandably worried with the Olympics scheduled to start in just a few days. With the equestrian events taking place in Hong Kong the government is under pressure to at least have air that is safe for the athletes (man and animal). In Sha Tin the Air Pollution Index (API) hit 200, which is basically extremely severe. In other words...the air is so bad you probably shouldn't be breathing it. Today it is back down to a comfortable level of 71, which is high. Here is a shot out of my window this morning, absolutely disgusting:
Now can you imagine not even being able to see Lamma Island? I couldn't yesterday for part of the day. People ask me if I like living in Hong Kong; the answer is "yes" but a qualified "yes"; as in it is great but the air sucks. I am actually glad we are only living here for two years...who knows what the long term repercussions from breathing this air for years would be. I for one am looking forward to days when blue skies are the norm and not an exception. China, I have one piece of advice for you...no one will care about your low cost production capabilities if you are destroying the world one airborne particulate at a time.
