A12 Saturday, December 14, 2019 CONTACT US Agree or disagree with the opinions on this page? Write to us at [email protected] If you have an idea for an opinion article, email it to [email protected] Clean vehicles Local superheroes can help make US great again Larry Au and Tiffany Wong say district councils have a role to play in resolving the city’s crisis such a commission. These proceedings would need to be as inclusive as possible, inviting not just “yellow ribbons” Yunshi Wang says Donald Trump ver since the pro-democracy leeway in which council business can be inquiry is supported by establishment (pro-democracy), but also “blue ribbons” camp’s massive victory in the conducted. figures like John Tsang Chun-wah, a (pro-establishment) and even members of should extend California’s policies district council elections on First, as pro-democracy councillors majority of the public, and the international the police force to take part. Participants nationwide to create the world’s November 24 – where non- control 17 of the 18 district councils, the panel of experts who have just quit the should be given the opportunity to say what establishment candidates seized pro-democracy camp is effectively Independent Police Complaints Council. they wish in this venue, and should be biggest zero-emission car market – Esome 388 out of 452 seats – observers have endowed with agenda-setting powers. The The government has so far refused to granted anonymity if requested. pointed to the knock-on effects that the councils’ official mandate is to advise the accede to these requests. Alternatively, Testimony gathered should be before China beats America to it election would have. government on topics such as the environ- legal scholar Jerome A. Cohen has organised and made accessible. The forum Many said the election results held only ment, transport and public services. suggested that a citizens’ commission of would serve as a much-needed outlet for symbolic power, and that the functional The wanton use of tear gas, the closure community leaders could be a substitute. beleaguered citizens who have been under he Trump administration’s recent assault on consequences of a pro-democracy major- of MTR stations, and deteriorating police- As clashes in the past six months have mental strain due to the ongoing protests. California’s clean vehicle policies will not only ity in district councils would be negligible. community relations all directly affect local been largely confined to neighbourhoods, Pan-democrats will be reluctant to Thurt residents of the state, but in the long run will Law professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting pointed districts’ well-being. Newly elected the 17 district councils controlled by the embrace this “political” role of district crush the competitiveness of American car companies. out that by controlling the vast majority of councillors need to use their bully pulpits to pan-democrats could share the burden of councils after their experience in 2003, The myth that California’s stringent vehicle emissions district council seats, the pan-democrats demand action. District councils can documenting the incidents of violence. when they secured a large number of seats requirements have hurt United States’ carmakers is would be able to select 117 of the 1,200 summon officials to meet critics. If officials Evidence can be made available on the only to be voted out in the next election simply not true. members of the Election Committee that refuse, the councils can name and shame councils’ websites. cycle after failing to focus on issues that The state’s 1990 Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate chooses Hong Kong’s chief executive. the officials for their failure to be District councils can also set up mattered to their constituents. and other policies have created fertile ground for start- Added to the other 350 or so seats that accountable. committees of non-members who satisfy This fear is rooted in a misleading ups with bold ideas to succeed around the world. the pro-democracy camp usually captures baseline qualifications to assist in their distinction between residents’ needs and Tesla, a Silicon Valley company, is now the No 1 in the non-district council sectors of the work to ensure that members can continue politics. District and community work are electric vehicle manufacturer in the world; its Model 3 Election Committee, this would put pan- to fulfil their regular duties. inherently political, such as with the outsold the small and mid-sized luxury cars, the Lexus democrats in a position to potentially sway Attempts to investigate the most high- prioritisation of problems. Weekly ES, BMW 3 series and Mercedes C-Class combined, in the 2022 chief executive election, with the profile instances of violence have been experience of tear-gas clouds will serve as a the third quarter this year, despite the US federal rebate leverage to bargain with Beijing. Weekly experience of obstructed and undermined by pro-estab- reminder to councillors of the urgency of shrinking to a quarter of its original amount. Still, in his larger analysis, Tai down- tear-gas clouds will lishment district councils. After the July 21 political intervention. More impressively, during the same quarter, Tesla’s played the importance of the district incident in Yuen Long MTR station, the There may be those who would prefer to Model 3 was also the sixth-bestselling car in the US, councils themselves, saying that they “have serve as a reminder ... pro-establishment Yuen Long District wait for an independent commission, beating cheaper models such as Hyundai Elantra, no direct governing role”. Political scientist Council voted down three motions to arguing that a judge is in a better position of Nissan Sentra, and Ford Fusion. Globally, the Model 3 Brian Fong Chi-hang even went so far as to of the urgency of investigate the attacks. authority to discern truth from falsehood has caught the imagination of European consumers, say on Twitter that the “District Councils political intervention Such investigations could begin on than partisan officials. becoming a top seller of all vehicles in Norway, the are powerless”. January 1, 2020. The work of organising this But this reliance on authority and Netherlands, and (briefly) Switzerland. But it would be a mistake to dismiss evidence would be invaluable for later perceived neutrality may be asking too Having teamed up with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, them outright. While they have traditional- For instance, to allay fears about the government-backed efforts. much of any one expert. Tesla is expected to sell more next year, as ly held an advisory role, these bodies could adverse health effects of tear gas, district Third, district councils could take steps A flexible, inclusive and participatory manufacturers will start to pay fines if the average have a critical part to play in resolving the councils could summon police command- towards healing local communities by investigation into the current crisis that carbon dioxide emissions of their new cars sold in crisis facing Hong Kong if they chose to ers to release information on the type of engaging in truth-seeking and reconcilia- draws on the collective efforts of multiple Europe exceed 95g/km. wield their power with creativity and agents deployed. tion. Advocates of restorative justice have sectors could well prove more fruitful. This California has the largest zero-emission bus and purpose. District councils could also invite documented the value of truth and would be an exercise in democracy – by the truck fleets in America, mostly thanks to Proterra and Aside from increasing the transparency regulatory scientists from the Environment reconciliation commissions in public people, for the people. BYD USA. It has the largest population of fuel cell of the councils, doing away with wasteful Bureau, and draw on testimony from efforts to overcome historic injustice in over electric vehicles in the world, with hydrogen refuelling projects, and disrupting the patron-client experts at universities and in the medical 40 countries. Larry Au is a PhD candidate at Columbia stations stretching across the state. relations of establishment-friendly groups, community to check the veracity of claims These commissions directly address University and his research examines the Tesla, along with Waymo, Cruise, and other there are other, more specific, steps that the made by officials that there is no evidence social grievances by allowing individuals to relationships between science, society, and the California-based companies, is also a leader in newly elected representative bodies can tear gas could be harmful to humans. recount their personal experiences, state. Tiffany G. Wong is based in Berlin and automated vehicle technologies, with over half a take to address issues stemming from the Second, district councils can document drawing on these stories to identify conducts policy research on China’s technology million autopilot-enabled global drivers providing on- protests that have been neglected by the and record instances of police misconduct. patterns and recommend specific reforms. and industrial regulatory landscape for road feedback. Uber and Lyft, the two ride-hailing government. Indeed, there is a great deal of A judge-led independent commission of The district councils could form exactly European and American businesses giants that are potential providers of automated, shared-mobility services, are also based in California. These achievements did not happen in a vacuum. Who developed the world’s most stringent emissions standards, creating the first market for zero emission vehicles in the early 1990s? California. Who enforced its rules and uncovered Volkswagen’s “dieselgate” scandal, solidifying zero emission vehicles’ role in a carbon-neutral transport system? California. The myth that California’s stringent vehicle emissions requirements have hurt US carmakers is simply not true Who pioneered the Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate that has greatly rewarded risk-taking zero emission vehicle start-ups with monetised credits? California.