Hong Kong's rapacious consumption and waste production is straining its natural resources and could leave the city vulnerable to global price swings and supply shortages, the World Wide Fund for Nature warns.
The organization's latest report notes Hong Kong's ecological footprint is more than twice the size of China's and nearly triple the Asia-Pacific average. 'If everyone lived the lifestyle we lead in Hong Kong, humanity would need 2.6 Earths to sustain our resource needs,' wrote CW Cheung, a chartered engineer who heads the Footprint Programme at WWF-Hong Kong.
The report's measure of 'ecological footprints' compares the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to absorb what individuals consume and generate in waste. It takes into account renewable resources but excludes toxic byproducts.
The report says the average person's consumption in Hong Kong equals 4.7 global hectares, while the available biocapacity per capita is just 0.03. That leaves the city with one of the world's largest ecological deficits in the world, and the second-largest in Asia after Singapore. Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have the world's largest per-capita deficits.
biocapacity：生物容量，承载力 ecological deficit：生态赤字
Hong Kong's consumption has risen dramatically over the years, spurred by high incomes and ease of trade. Food, fuel, clothing and transportation amount to a large share of consumption in a city that uses over 150 times its available biocapacity.
'Hong Kong has always been reliant on the natural resources of other countries. Since ecological deficit is a growing problem around the world, there is increasing competition for global resources. Hong Kong has to make changes and adapt to the rules of this 'new game', to make us less vulnerable to fluctuations in global market prices and supply disruption,' Mr. Cheung wrote.
vulnerable：易受攻击的，易受伤害的 fluctuation：波动，变动
According to Hong Kong's Environment Bureau, the city's daily domestic waste per person is large relative to similarly developed cities like Seoul, Tokyo and Taipei. Hong Kong has faced challenges absorbing waste and establishing recycling facilities due to land shortages.
domestic waste：生活垃圾 biodiversity：生物多样性
Meanwhile, air pollution killed 1,600 people in the first half of the year as factories and aging vehicles caused the city's air quality to exceed the World Health Organization's recommended safe limits by more than 60%.
To fix Hong Kong's ecological deficit, the WWF report suggests investments in improved infrastructure, energy-efficient housing and waste-management programs. Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department is drafting its first Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.