Air pollution in Hong Kong from ships and vehicles gets worse
Power plant action helps Hong Kong hit overall clean-air goals but vehicles and ships creating more pollution than before, officials admit
Roadside air quality and marine-related air pollution have worsened even though the city has achieved its overall clean-air targets under a joint scheme with Guangdong province.
According to the 2010 pollution inventory released by the Environmental Protection Department yesterday, the level of emissions for four pollutants - sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide (NOx), respirable suspended particulates and volatile organic compounds - in 2010 were reduced by 30 to 59 per cent, compared to 1997.
Guangdong has yet to release its results.
The decreases met the levels required under a joint scheme with Guangdong to cut emissions, using 1997 as the base year.
The reduction of the major pollutants sulphur dioxide and NOx was attributed mostly to improvements in reducing power plant pollution, which accounted for half of total emissions. Power plants have also been switching to natural gas rather than coal, which has led to cleaner fuel and fewer emissions.
However, the other sources - vehicles and ships - have created more pollution than before. Vessels emitted a total of 35,000 tonnes of NOx in 2010, up by 8.3 per cent on 2009, and they were also responsible for 16,900 tonnes of sulphur dioxide in 2010, a 9.7 per cent increase from the previous year.
