ENG-2017 — Page 304

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The Environment

To promote mass transit systems that are pollution-free at the street level, the government gives priority to rail over road and encourages innovation.

Marine Transport

Marine vessels are a major air emission source in Hong Kong. To control marine emissions, the government caps the sulphur content in locally supplied marine light diesel at 0.05 per cent and requires ocean-going vessels to switch to low-sulphur fuel while at berth.

Hong Kong is also working with the Mainland to cut regional vessel emissions, including the formation of a domestic marine emission control area in the Pearl River Delta waters by 2019.

Power Generation

Power plants are a major source of local emissions. The government tightens statutory emission caps on the power sector progressively and encourages the power companies to use cleaner fuels. The emission caps for the three key pollutants, SO2, NOx and RSP, were tightened in 2017 to achieve cuts of 59 per cent to 79 per cent in 2022 compared with 2010 levels.

Indoor Air Quality

The Indoor Air Quality (AQ) Management Programme offers a voluntary IAQ Certification Scheme for offices and public places to recognise good IAQ management practices and to provide incentives for property owners or property management companies to pursue the best indoor air quality.

Ozone Layer Protection

The Montreal Protocol for controlling substances that deplete the ozone layer applies to Hong Kong. The Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance prohibits manufacture of these substances as well as their import for local consumption, except hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which are subject to import quotas with a view to banning their import completely by 2020.

Non-road Mobile Machinery

Regulations controlling non-road mobile machinery emissions require new machinery supplied for use in Hong Kong to meet statutory emission requirements, namely the Euro Stage IIIA emission standard for machines such as crawler cranes, air compressors and excavators, and the Euro V emission standard for non-road vehicles. All machinery to be used in specified activities or locations, such as the airport, container terminals and construction sites, must bear EPD- issued labels.

Noise Pollution

Road Traffic Noise

Proponents of development projects are required to assess traffic noise impact when planning new roads and residential developments, provide direct mitigation measures such as noise barriers and low-noise road surfacing for new roads, and adopt noise mitigation designs such as acoustic balconies and windows. All newly registered vehicles must comply with internationally recognised noise standards. In addition, the government mitigates the impact of traffic noise on nearby residents by installing noise barriers and laying low-noise road surfacing

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