Smog hangs over Hong Kong's skyscrapers, smothering the city's edge as a leading financial centre.<br/> <br />Hong Kong's air quality is now among the worst in Asia.<br/> <br />And that pollution problem is threatening the city's pro-business reputation.<br/> <br />Business leaders say authorities haven't adequately addressed the issue, which costs close to $6 billion dollars in tangible and intangible losses each year.<br/> <br />A quarter of businesses polled by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong say the environment is an important issue.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, ENVIRONMENTAL STEERING COMMITTEE GROUP LEADER, EVAN AUYANG, SAYING (English):<br/> <br />"Now if you talk about make or break, would they make it on environment, we would say typically not. However, when people exit Hong Kong they decide; 'I can't stand it anymore,' or 'I don't want to be here anymore', the environment is typically one of the primary factors."<br/> <br />Charity worker Suzanne Brucks moved back to Germany after two years in the city.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: FORMER HONG KONG RESIDENT, SUZANNE BRUCKS, SAYING (English):<br/> <br />"Since I've been back in Berlin I haven't had those problems. I have no respiratory problems, no coughing, no headaches, I don't feel sick and I'm absolutely certain it has to do with the, sort of, fresh air in Berlin."<br/> <br />Roadside fumes, marine pollution, and smog from tens of thousands of factories in China's nearby industrial heartland all combine to choke Hong Kong.<br/> <br />Regional and local incentives have been announced to address the problem. Authorities say a new pipeline will see 50 percent of local power-generating plants run on natural gas.<br/> <br />But critics aren't convinced.<br/> <br />Some figures suggest that between 2007 and 2010, an average of 1,200 people a year died from heart and respiratory causes, linked in part to poor air.<br/> <br />Sarah Charlton, Reuters.
