Policy Address

Air Quality

138. In recent years, the Government has made strenuous efforts to improve air quality, including allocating $11.4 billion to phase out 82 000 diesel commercial vehicles of pre-Euro IV emission standard by 2020, strengthening emission control on vehicles, and making Hong Kong the first Asian city to mandate ocean-going vessels at berth to switch to low-sulphur fuel. Notable results have been achieved. In the past few years, air pollutants (including nitrogen dioxide and PM 2.5 which are more difficult to tackle) have been reduced by up to about 30%. Last month, the HKSAR Government signed an agreement with the Mainland to jointly promote the establishment of an emission control area in the Pearl River Delta waters to regulate emissions from marine vessels. Furthermore, the Government is exploring technologies that can improve the fuel efficiency and environmental effectiveness of local ferries.

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