環保觸覺一年一度舉辦的「香港無冷氣夜」今年踏入第七個年頭。回首「香港無冷氣夜2015」本會的登記系統錄得共超過8萬8千個家庭、大學及大專學生參與，身體力行減少碳足跡。此活動旨於鼓勵香港市民擺脫對冷氣的依賴，走出戶外，感受自然的涼風。另一方面，此活動亦希望令市民意識到過度使用冷氣的禍害從而自覺地減少溫室氣體排放。
縱使香港位處於亞熱帶氣候區，市民在室內穿上外套的景氣早已司空見慣。每當行經商場或食肆門口，都能感到一陣寒流。當這些畫面變得常態後，大家也漸漸忽略了節約能源的重要。濫用冷氣成為主要的空氣污染源，香港的空氣質素也因此不達世界衛生組織的標準。空氣污染不單是本港，甚至是全球環境問題，更是蔓延到我們下一代的危機。
酷熱的夏天，冷氣雖能為大家帶來涼快，但這不代表對人體不無壞處。冷氣機中的隔塵裝置往往佈滿不同微粒和致敏原，容易誘發哮喘、呼吸系統感染。都市人經常處於冷氣場所往往患上病態建築症候群(Sick Building Syndrome)。本會希望市民能多反思濫用冷氣對自身的影響。
縱使香港位處於亞熱帶氣候區，市民在室內穿上外套的景氣早已司空見慣。每當行經商場或食肆門口，都能感到一陣寒流。當這些畫面變得常態後，大家也漸漸忽略了節約能源的重要。濫用冷氣成為主要的空氣污染源，香港的空氣質素也因此不達世界衛生組織的標準。空氣污染不單是本港，甚至是全球環境問題，更是蔓延到我們下一代的危機。
酷熱的夏天，冷氣雖能為大家帶來涼快，但這不代表對人體不無壞處。冷氣機中的隔塵裝置往往佈滿不同微粒和致敏原，容易誘發哮喘、呼吸系統感染。都市人經常處於冷氣場所往往患上病態建築症候群(Sick Building Syndrome)。本會希望市民能多反思濫用冷氣對自身的影響。
放眼全球，人類仍然相當依賴不可再生的能源模式，即發電廠燃燒化石燃料產生電力供人類活動消耗。以香港為例，全年平均在冷氣上的用電量約30%，當中釋放出超過1000萬噸的二氧化碳。若以每棵成年的樹木一年吸收21.8公斤的二氧化碳為參考，香港每年就需要超過4億5千萬棵樹來抵銷因使用冷氣釋放出的二氧化碳。在抱怨今年的夏天比以往更「毒辣」時，又有沒有想過這是我們濫用冷氣的後果?
今年，我們誠邀大家參與「香港無冷氣夜2016」，在10月7日晚上7時至翌日早上7時關掉冷氣，為地球降溫!
Green Sense is launching
the 7th annual No Air Con
Night this year on October 7-8th from 7pm to 7am! This event
encourages Hong Kong residents to shake their dependence on carbon belching
artificial coolers and lower greenhouse gas emissions in Hong Kong. The event
raises awareness for the consequences of systemic overuse of air conditioning
in Hong Kong, and inspires residents to go on afternoon hikes and enjoy good
company and fresh air. The No Air Con Night has been met with resounding
success, with over 88,000 households participating in the effort to reduce Hong
Kong’s carbon footprint in 2015.
Despite Hong Kong’s
natural subtropical climate, it is not unusual to see people wearing jackets
and coats indoors. Arctic blasts of cold air from restaurants and malls that
leave their AC on continuously can be felt even from the streets. The
territory-wide wasteful and hazardous overuse of air conditioning has become so
normalized that it is not receiving proper attention as a public health problem.
Hong Kong only passes about 10% of the World Health Organization’s standards
for clean air, and the abuse of air conditioning is a major source of
contamination.[1]
It is time to consider air pollution as both a global and local problem and reflect
upon the conditions we are leaving to the next generation in Hong Kong.
It can be difficult to
discuss cutting air conditioner use in the summer. In moderation, air
conditioning can offer relief from sweltering heat waves and help prevent faintness
and heat stroke. However, overusing it comes with health risks of its own. Air conditioning
aggravates air pollution in enclosed spaces. Dirty filters spread pesticides,
allergens, mercury, and particulate matter that can cause asthma, lung
infections, and heart attacks. The increased CO2 levels from overuse of air
conditioning also cause dizziness, headaches, and fatigue. On the street, the
ever-present dripping from broken AC units overhead creates puddles of polluted
water that host harmful bacteria and spread infectious illnesses.
Air conditioning can
account for as much as 30% of total electricity usage in Hong Kong. In order to
meet this demand, power plants burn fossil fuels and emit clouds of pollutants
into the atmosphere. This massive energy guzzling consumption has a huge impact
on greenhouse gas emissions. Hong Kong suffers from the urban heat island
effect, which means that urbanized areas of Hong Kong are consistently hotter
than outlying areas as a result of pollution generated by human activity. These
heat traps create more demand for AC use and generate more waste, further
driving up temperatures and corrupting air quality. It is time to time to break
free from this vicious cycle and come together to save our environment!
Let’s join the No Air
Con Night 2016 for cooling the Earth!
[1] Hampshire,
Angharad. "Beating Hong Kong's Bad Air: The Best Ways to Defend Your Lungs
from Air Pollution." South China Morning Post. January 24, 2015.