A report on air quality in 2024 jointly released by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau under the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Pearl River Delta Regional Air Quality Monitoring Network, indicates a long-term downward trend in air pollutant concentrations for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, respirable suspended particulates (PM10), and fine suspended particulates (PM2.5).

The Environmental Protection Department stated that the report finds the 2024 average concentrations for these pollutants to have declined by between 18% and 86% from their peak levels. It added that the drop demonstrates the effectiveness of emission reduction measures being implemented across the three places.

The department highlighted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has implemented various air pollutant emission control measures to enhance air quality.

Moreover, the Air Pollution Control (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 – which came into effect in April of this year – tightens five existing Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) and adds three new parameters introduced by the World Health Organization to its global air quality guidelines. Among 15 updated AQOs, seven are set at the most stringent levels under the guidelines, on a par with those of other advanced economies.

The Hong Kong SAR Government is also committed to phasing out approximately 40,000 Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles by the end of 2027. New registrations of fuel-propelled private cars, including hybrids, will cease in 2035 or earlier, and approximately 700 electric buses and 3,000 electric taxis will be introduced by the end of 2027.

The department outlined that the Hong Kong SAR Government is supporting the green transformation of vehicles and striving towards zero vehicular emissions by 2050. It reported that as of the end of September of this year the number of electric vehicles in Hong Kong exceeded 135,000, including about 132,000 private cars, which was nine times the number from six years ago and accounted for 21% of all private cars in the city.