According to the research center's report, commissioned by investment bank CLSA, smog negatively affects not only the health of Hong Kong residents but also its economy. Experts note that on Lantau Island, where Disneyland is being built, property prices may fall.
The findings of Civic Exchange should seriously concern the Hong Kong authorities, since the future Disneyland is advertised as the largest tourist center in Asia. However, the Disneyland organization, which intends to turn Lantau into a "world-class tourist center" with 10 million visitors a year, has not commented on the air pollution problem in any way. At the same time, the smog problem in Hong Kong is so serious that many residents of particularly polluted cities are planning to move to Singapore for the sake of their children's health.
The smog over Hong Kong consists of exhaust gases and emissions from factories and coal-fired power plants. Polluted air comes from mainland China. Diesel fuel sold in Hong Kong contains a very small amount of sulfur, while on the mainland the sulfur content in fuel is 50 or even 500 times higher.
Meanwhile, as Lenta.ru notes, many factories located in China are owned by Hong Kong and managed by Hong Kong companies. "Companies have no right to complain about bad air that has a negative impact on their health and the health of their loved ones while remaining inactive," CLSA believes.