A new post is long past due. This fall I was completing my graduate studies, and I recently returned from a work inspired trip to China. In anticipation of the trip, I have thoroughly enjoyed the coverage by The New York Times on the environmental challenges facing China.

While much of the world’s focus has been on Beijing’s air pollution woes in anticipation of the 2008 Olympic Games, coal-fired power plants and vehicles lead to air quality problems in other major Chinese cities as well. According to a recent article in the Shanghai Daily, air pollution in Hong Kong contributes to 1,600 deaths per year. 75% of surveyed Hong Kong residents are in favor of increased public transport costs for cleaner fuel. Concerns of Hong Kong’s air quality recently led the city’s planning board to reduce the size of a waterfront development project. The decision will result in government revenue losses on the land sale estimated at HK$15.6 billion ($2 billion). The revenue loss is a hefty sum, but a 2006 study estimates that air pollution costs Hong Kong HK$21.2 billion ($2.72 billion) annually in hospital fees and lost work productivity. Of course, the planning board’s decision won’t clear the air, but it’s a start toward long-term management.