Hong Kong air quality at risk of deteriorating to pre-coronavirus levels, environmental NGO warns
- Concentrations of some pollutants climbed last year, although air quality was second best to 2022 since city returned to Chinese rule in 1997
- Clean Air Network chief Patrick Fung says government needs a clear road map to cut the levels of ozone and other pollutants
But despite the increase environmental authorities said air quality last year was the “second best since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland” after 2022 as emissions had “returned to their normal levels”.
“The air quality indeed worsened from the best level in 2022 and it may further dip to the pre-Covid level in 2019 following the resumption of social and economic activities,” said Patrick Fung Kin-wai, the CEO of NGO Clean Air Network.
“The overall trend is still improving – there are certainly rebounds and fluctuations, but the concentrations of certain pollutants continue to rise, and way above the guidelines set by the World Health Organization.”
Fung noted that ozone levels had increased over the past decade, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels at the roadside exceeded the World Health Organization guidelines by 500 per cent.
