Hong Kong’s air quality goals for 2025 cleared by environment advisory group, but fall short of WHO global guidelines
- The objectives set concentration limits for seven pollutants and number of times their levels can be exceeded
- Government tells Advisory Council on the Environment targets could not be set to World Health Organisation guidelines
An environmental advisory group has raised no objection to proposed revisions to the Hong Kong government’s five-year air quality goals, even as officials dismissed calls to tighten targets for two pollutants.
The government on Monday told the Advisory Council on the Environment the revised targets for 2025 could not be set to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) ultimate objectives as such a move would make it impossible for infrastructure projects to pass environmental impact assessments (EIA).
Council chairman Stanley Wong Yuen-fai said the group, which by law the government must consult on its review of air quality objectives, largely welcomed the proposals.
Undersecretary for the Environment Tse Chin-wan said although the targets did not meet the WHO’s objectives, “we will continue to implement measures until we reach them”.
“But interim targets were adopted because we have the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance,” he said, referring to assessment reports and environmental permits any large project must obtain.
