Hong Kong as a cosmopolitan city has many great positives such as its low crime rates, great recreational facilities, etc. However, one of its rising problems, air pollution seems to be over ruling all of its positives. But, is it actually damaging Hong Kong’s reputation as an international finance Centre and tourist spot?
The ones who agree with the motion say that comparing now to a decade ago we can clearly see the difference, nowadays in Hong Kong it is not possible to see the top of the skyscrapers in central on an average day because of the smog covering Hong Kong’s sky.
They also claim that Hong Kong’s visibility is nearly double as bad as it was in 2003 and it is worsening day-by-day. This has not only obscured the view that Hong Kong is/was famous for, but also worsens the respiratory illness and other health problems to both locals & expatriates alike, resulting in those with infants and kids under the age of eleven moving their families to cities like Singapore where the air is much better.
It is also factually proven that, air pollution in Hong Kong could do more damage to its economy than the outbreak of S.A.R.S. Estimations show that if Hong Kong did not have such bad air quality damaging its economy, it could make up to twenty billion Hong Kong dollars as increased profit yearly. One other thing is that Hong Kong has dropped to the 32nd rank on expatriate living conditions conducted annually by the E.C.A from the 21st rank it earlier enjoyed. One the key factors for this drop in ranking is considered to be air pollution in Hong Kong.
Despite looking at so many negative points we still cannot conclude that air pollution is damaging Hong Kong’s reputation as an international finance Centre and tourist spot because the city still remains attractive to overseas talent because of low crime rates, free governance and excellent recreational facilities. It was also said that Hong Kong is getting lots of attention from business men as it still remains to be an entry port to China for many companies, this is one big plus point. Therefore it is not all bad news for Hong Kong because its standard of living and quality of life still remains to be of the highest quality amongst the top cities in Asia.
On the whole, in my opinion the pollution is definitely impacting Hong Kong’s international finance and tourism negatively. If pollution did not exist in Hong Kong, it will be a much better place to live.
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