The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) announced today (January 28) an overview of Hong Kong's air quality in 2021. The overall air quality in Hong Kong has shown a discernible improvement.

     The air quality data recorded by the EPD's air quality monitoring stations in 2021 (as detailed in Annex 1) reveal that the annual average concentrations of respirable suspended particulates (PM10), fine suspended particulates (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) in the ambient air have been reduced by 32 per cent to 62 per cent from 2011. In the same period, the annual average pollutants concentrations at the roadside have been reduced by 43 per cent to 58 per cent. The annual average concentration of ozone (O3) gradually turned steady in the past few years. The number of hours of reduced visibility in Hong Kong has been greatly reduced by 84 per cent from its peak (as detailed in Annex 2).

    An EPD spokesman said, "As the Government is implementing the comprehensive air quality improvement measures put forth in the Hong Kong Roadmap on Popularisation of Electric Vehicles, Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong 2035 and Hong Kong's Climate Action Plan 2050 announced by the Environment Bureau in 2021 as well as promoting electric vehicles, green transport and carbon reduction measures, the overall air quality in Hong Kong will continuously improve."

    To combat the regional ozone issue, the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have launched a three-year joint study on "Characterization of photochemical ozone formation, regional and super-regional transportation in the Greater Bay Area" to better understand the origin of O3 formation and its transportation characteristics in the Greater Bay Area. The findings will help devise improvement measures. The Guangdong and Hong Kong governments have commenced a study on post-2020 regional air pollutant emission reduction targets and concentration levels, with a view to formulating emission reduction targets for major air pollutants to 2030 and continuously improving air quality in the Pearl River Delta Region.

     Moreover, the Environment Bureau has embarked on a new round of the Air Quality Objectives Review in order to assess the scope for further tightening the objectives and aims at completing the review in 2023.

Ends/Friday, January 28, 2022
Issued at HKT 16:30

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