Air quality in Hong Kong is typical of any large modern city. Diesel emissions and fine dust in the urban areas are the most pressing problems. As a result of various measures taken to reduce emissions from motor vehicles, the roadside air quality is improving. Between 1999 and 2005, the concentrations of respirable suspended particulates and nitrogen oxides, the two major air pollutants at the roadside, declined by 14 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively.

Hong Kong's objectives for air quality are comparable with standards adopted in developed countries. Hong Kong is closely monitoring the latest overseas developments in air quality standards.

Many factories and commercial activities produce air-borne emissions. The EPD operates a range of controls under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance and its subsidiary regulations, including licensing of some large industrial facilities and specific controls on furnace and chimney installations, dark smoke emissions, fuel quality, open burning, dust emissions from construction works, emissions from petrol filling stations and perchloroethylene emissions from dry-cleaning facilities. A regulation is also being prepared to control the maximum level of volatile organic compounds in paints, printing inks and certain consumer products. The Air Pollution Control Ordinance bans the import and sale of the more dangerous types of asbestos, namely amosite and crocidolite. Moreover, anyone intending to remove asbestos must engage registered professionals, and submit asbestos investigation reports and plans to the department.

Air pollution arouses much public concern, especially when factories are near homes. In 2005, the department handled 12 343 complaints of air pollution (of which 6 577 were about smoky vehicles and 669 were factory related) and issued 1 581 legal notices instructing offenders to abate air pollution.

To conserve energy and reduce air pollution, the Government is taking the lead in setting the indoor temperature at 25.5 degrees Celsius in summer and has launched a campaign to encourage the public to do the same.

The Montreal Protocol to control all substances that deplete the ozone layer is applicable to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Apart from prohibiting both local manufacture and import of substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons for local consumption under the Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance, the EPD also sets a quota to control the import of hydrochlorofluorocarbons.

Transport

Vehicle emissions are the major source of air pollution and nuisance experienced at the roadside. The Government's policy is to apply the most stringent motor vehicle fuel and emission standards whenever they are practicable and available.

Hong Kong follows the European Union on emission standards and, from January 1, 2006, will start to introduce Euro IV standards in phases in tandem with the European Union for all newly registered vehicles except newly registered diesel private cars, which must meet emission standards that are more stringent than the Euro IV standards. Cleaner fuels and tighter emission standards introduced in the past few years have significantly reduced the pollution from motor vehicles.

Nearly all of Hong Kong's taxis are now running on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and about 55 per cent of the public light buses are fuelled by LPG. Pre-Euro emission standard light diesel vehicles (not more than 4 tonnes) are now required to install particulate reduction devices. The same requirement will apply to pre-Euro diesel vehicles over 4 tonnes, except those requiring the operation of on-board equipment when idling, starting from April 1, 2006. In 2005, the EPD completed a half-year incentive programme providing subsidies for owners of long idling vehicles to install particulate reduction devices. About 90 per cent (2 400) of the eligible vehicles participated in the programme.

Another motor vehicle emission control strategy is to tighten control of smoky vehicles. Under the Smoky Vehicle Control Programme, all vehicles reported must be tested for smoke levels using a chassis dynamometer at designated vehicle emission testing centres to find out if the owners have rectified the smoke defects. Under this scheme, the number of smoky vehicles on roads has decreased by about 80 per cent since 1999.

Apart from having cleaner vehicles and cleaner fuels, it is essential to promote mass transit systems that are pollution-free at street level. The Government has adopted a policy that gives priority to rail over road and encourages innovation wherever practical.