Being an international financial centre, Hong Kong has attracted different kinds of people to relocate to this fast-developing city which makes it prosperous and vibrant. However, despite its flourishing and robust economy, there are plenty of improvements needed in a number of areas.
Regarding the environment, air pollution is a critical problem in Hong Kong which is caused by the emissions from industries, motor vehicles, the electricity generation and domestic energy consumption. Most people think that air pollution is just a negligible problem that needs no attention which makes them ignore the order of severity of air pollution. Actually, it not only threatens the well-being of citizens, but also affects the economy of Hong Kong. All age groups are affected by this poor air condition, especially children and the elderly, which has contributed to respiratory diseases and the hacking cough easily. Worse still, they even suffer from chronic diseases.
On the other hand, the wealth gap should be concerning in Hong Kong. The change of economic mode in Hong Kong leads to a knowledge-based economy. Consequently, a number of high-class people can derive the benefits from this new economic mode in Hong Kong. As a result, people who are in low educational level and low working technical abilities in Hong Kong have difficulty finding a job and surviving in the society.
Under the heavy burden of life, most of the low class families argue with each other about money and even lead to the domestic violence. Therefore, the society will not become harmonious and equitable. Then citizens may lose confidence in the government and the society is not lively. In view of this, I would like to give some suggestions to address these problems. Firstly, to deal with the problem of air pollution, people should change their lifestyle by taking public transports instead of the private cars. Moreover, more large scale campaigns should be carried out to combat the air pollution, such as the afforestation and Blue-sky Action. Through these schemes, our precious blue sky and clean air would definitely return. In addition, the government should promote the development of clean and renewable energy sources since fossil fuels are widely used by different mode of vehicles which are the major culprit of the air pollution. New modes of energy generation should be adopted in order to secure fresh and clean air to our general public.
Secondly, to cope with the widening wealth gap, the government needs to raise its expenses. For example, the government can provide more social securities to the low class people who are the underprivileged by getting them subsidies, living allowances and travel allowances. Although a few people think that it is a way merely to alleviate symptoms of an illness, it is still a speedy method to solve the problem. To sum up, the air pollution and the wealth disparity are serious problems in Hong Kong, The government and the citizens should pay more attention to tackle these problems.
5B Cheung Yat Long
HHCKLA BUDDHIST CHING KOK SECONDARY SCHOOL
