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Co-operation Arrangement on tackling air pollution signed
 The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (May 26) signed a Co-operation Arrangement (CA) between the Mainland and the HKSAR on tackling air pollution.
Signing the agreement were Deputy Director General of SEPA's Pollution Control Department, Mr. Li Xinmin and the Permanent Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works (Environment), Mr K K Kwok.
Mr Kwok said: "Air pollution has no boundary. The SEPA and the EPD of the HKSAR Government have all along been sharing experience and professional knowledge in air pollution control in the past years. The signing of the CA will strengthen co-operation between the two sides."
Under the CA, staff from the two sides will engage in regular exchanges of knowledge, views and experience in air pollution control. Joint studies will be commissioned on policies and technologies on tackling air pollution.
The specific areas of interest under the CA cover:
- vehicle emission standards and control technology;
- vehicle fuels specifications and supervision;
- alternative fuels for vehicles;
- ambient air quality monitoring for criteria pollutants;
- strategies for controlling sources of air pollution including total emission controls, emission databases, emissions trading, and continuous emission monitoring;
- toxic air pollution control including ambient and source monitoring and control of toxic air pollutants;
- control of ozone depleting substances;
- compilation of emission inventory and emission forecasts;
- control of volatile organic compounds; and
- use of numerical air quality models.
The first joint event under the CA will be a workshop on in-use vehicle emission control and vehicle fuels to be held later this year.
"We are planning to invite representatives from various institutions in the Mainland to join the workshop and share their experience," Mr. Kwok said.
End/Thursday, May 26, 2005
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