Since 1991, Hong Kong has increasingly experienced periods of impaired visibility that can be attributed to increased air pollution (Wang, 2003). As well as the health effects resulting from poor air quality, there are also potential economic consequences associated with such visibility degradation.

The purpose of this report is to provide a review of the potential economic impacts of visibility impairment, and to identify how this issue has been addressed internationally, with a view to identifying its implications for Hong Kong.

Although this report does not specifically address the regional nature of air pollution and poor visibility, nor the regional economic implications, the close relationship between the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and Hong Kong, and in particular PRD’s influence on local visibility (and vice versa) through cross-border pollution, should not be overlooked. This relationship should be considered in the development of any specific evaluation studies in the future.

Air Pollution: Evaluating the Economic Costs of Visibility Impairment [.pdf, 2729.3Kb]