Living Smart

II ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY 048 049 their “babies” (larvae) drift with ocean currents. Once we can identify these larvae in our waters, we can gain a better understanding of these species and, ultimately, draw up a better plan for conservation. Such an attempt is similar to conducting a census in humans: understanding the rates of birth, death, immigration and emigration are essential for formulating policies. Creating a baseline picture, that is, a starting point of what is in our waters, enables us to address challenging questions and help make informed decisions. Recently, speculation had it that Chief Executive Carrie LAM CHENG Yuet-Ngor is set to increase land supply by reclamation in her second policy address next week in a bid to resolve the pressing shortage of land. However, are the proposed five reclamation sites truly of low conservation value? Or are they really resilient to heavy human disturbance? Furthermore, if we were to move forward, are the proposed compensation strategies effective? Are these sites sustainable in the face of global climate change, especially rising sea- levels? Could we include green engineering techniques to better balance the need to expand our city with conservation? To address these questions, a blueprint of Hong Kong’ s current marine ecosystems is urgently needed. As Senegalese environmentalist Baba Dioum said: “In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand.” In our lab at HKUST, we explore Hong Kong’ s surrounding waters. On every trip, we are excited by what we find, and humbled by how little we know. It’ s high time for us to get to know our city. Published on October 03, 2018 Clearer way in life as app appraises risks Prof. Christopher FREY Adjunct Professor, Division of Environment and Sustainability I n June, the government announced plans to revise the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Certification Scheme, where inspection of mold as well as two volatile organic compounds, naphthalene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, would be added to requirements for a premise to obtain an IAQ certificate. However, both natural ventilation (e.g., open windows) and mechanical ventilation bring outdoor pollutants to the indoors in varying amounts. The government’ s Air Quality Health Index is useful as an indicator of outdoor air quality, but does not pertain directly to air quality indoors or while in transit. The IAQ Certification Scheme is voluntary and applies in whole or in part to a relatively small fraction of buildings. Personal contact with air pollution occurs anywhere, including indoors at home, work, school, or shopping, outdoors, or while in transit. However, as individuals, we typically lack information regarding pollution at these locations. Such information would enable us to make our own decisions to prevent or avoid pollution, such as by changing ventilation practices or by plotting routes in our daily routines. At the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, we are developing a personalized assessment system where end- users will be able to access real time air quality information, both indoor and outdoor, via smartphones. The system, “Personalized Real-Time Air Quality System for Exposure – Hong Kong,” or PRAISE-HK, is now undergoing