THE ENVIRONMENT
Air Pollution
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. Compared with 1999, the total number of hours that the roadside Air Pollution Index exceeded 100 in 2003 declined by 35 per cent. The concentrations of respirable suspended particulates and nitrogen oxides, the two major air pollutants at the roadside, declined by 13 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively.
Hong Kong's objectives for air quality, developed in 1987, are comparable with standards adopted in developed countries at that time. 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 was being prepared to reduce vapour emissions from vehicle refuelling. The Air Pollution Control Ordinance has banned the import and sale of the more dangerous types of asbestos, namely amosite and crocidolite, from May 1996. 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 2003, the department handled complaints of air pollution allegedly caused by factories and issued legal notices instructing offenders to abate air pollution.
Joining a global effort, Hong Kong has taken up its obligations under the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer. 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 the air pollution and nuisances 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 is moving ahead of the European Union in raising its statutory standards for motor vehicle fuel. On this front, in July 2000, Hong Kong became the first city in Asia to introduce ultra low sulphur diesel, which has a sulphur content of less than 0.005 per cent, for use in motor vehicles. From April 2002, it became the statutory standard for motor diesel. Hong Kong is a few years ahead of the European Union in this regard, as the European Union's plan is to adopt ultra-lead sulphur diesel as a standard in 2005.
As regards emission standards, Hong Kong follows the steps of the European Union and has adopted Euro III emission standards since January 2001 for all newly registered vehicles except newly registered diesel private cars which must meet emission standards more stringent than the Euro III standards. Cleaner fuels and
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