One has to wonder why Hong Kong allows indoor venues to blast excessively cold air through air-conditioning ducts all day long and all year round. It is not only uncomfortable, especially when wearing light clothing or when perspiring heavily, but one has to wonder about the effects this can have on our health and on the environment.
My TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) practitioner has warned me that these sudden switches in ambient temperature should be avoided, explaining that the sweaty skin can easily induce respiratory illnesses when the sweat evaporates quickly and the sweat is reabsorbed into the body in a cold indoor environment.
Air conditioning does not increase the circulation of fresh air — in fact, quite the opposite.
When air conditioning is used heavily, for most units, the same air gets recycled over and over again, creating a haven for bacteria and pathogens that do not get trapped in the mesh filters in the machine, but continue to fly around. The maintenance of filters is crucial to guaranteeing a healthy environment, but more often than not, the filters are not maintained properly. During COVID-19, the World Health Organization stated the importance of natural air-circulation with open windows, and to avoid remaining indoors with stagnant air, together with maintaining good hygiene. Air conditioning should only be implemented with clean filters and, most importantly, settings that recirculate the same air should not be used. It is clear we are endangering our health by misusing air conditioning for the wrong reason. Perhaps this is an area the Health Bureau or the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department should look into.
Ever wondered why people working in offices often “come down with something” and find themselves “under the weather”? In the worst-case scenario, the cause could be Legionnaires’ disease. But more often than not, it’s due to weakened immunity, thanks to an unhealthy lifestyle that consists of a poor diet and a lack of exercise. The World Health Organization has pointed out that exposure to low air quality can have an actual impact on the lives of building residents. So why can’t Hong Kong adjust the thermostat upward? And I thought we Hong Kong residents are admired for our pragmatism!
Health is not the only factor to consider when we think of the damage that excessive use of air conditioning can create. The environmental case for decreasing air conditioning usage is unequivocal. When looking at the stats, the numbers are scary. Every year, air-conditioning units consume 30 percent of Hong Kong’s electricity. While buildings, both residential and commercial, account for 60 percent of carbon emissions. It has been estimated that it takes three months to absorb the carbon emissions a regular unit generates in eight hours. The effects these units have on climate change are beyond doubt.
It is time that we become more judicious in our use of air conditioning as it measurably impacts both our environment and health. From MTR stations to shopping malls, Hong Kong has shown an addiction to cold air. Many people in Hong Kong appear unwilling to visit shopping malls if the temperature is not adequately low, with the exception of the elderly, who take care to wrap themselves up even in summer before entering these “cold storage” facilities. It’s time that the government took the lead in encouraging the management of these facilities to be more economical and sensible in the operation of their air-conditioning systems, which impacts not only their operational cost but more importantly, the environment and the people.
The climate crisis that we are facing right now calls for more proactive measures from the government and all vested interests, which certainly include property management companies. More sustainable urban planning with larger open spaces and more greenery, as Singapore has successfully implemented, is what our city planners aim for. With global temperatures becoming more extreme every year, introducing more greenery and tree planting should be a good starting point to counter it. Any further hesitation over Hong Kong’s climate priorities will create more intense urban heat, which will, in turn, bring an even more aggressive use of air conditioning and a vicious cycle to our detriment. This is clearly not sustainable!
The absurdity of our current relationship with air conditioning was brought home for me recently at an upscale shopping mall in Central. It was pouring cats and dogs outside, yet the moment I stepped inside, I was met with a full blast of cold air both in the mall and in the restaurant where I took refuge. Fortunately, I had carried a jacket, which provided some relief from the freezing temperature. Yet no amount of hot tea could warm up my chilled extremities. In the schools where I work, students are often forced to wear cardigans over their uniforms even in the middle of summer as a result of the needlessly cold air being pumped into their classes.
This is not an intractable problem, and the solution stares us in the face. We need to act in unison in the interest of our health, environment and even our pocketbooks.
The author is a visiting lecturer at the Education University of Hong Kong. She is also the artistic director of a local theater company, and coaches drama in several schools around Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.