Air pollution declines across Pearl River Delta

A joint 2024 air quality report from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau shows a significant drop in air pollutant levels across the Pearl River Delta.

The report, published Friday by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Pearl River Delta Regional Air Quality Monitoring Network, reveals that annual average concentrations of various air pollutants – namely sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and suspended particulates – have decreased by 18% to 86% from peak levels.

The Macau Special Administrative Region Government credits its environmental initiatives for contributing to this improvement.

In a joint statement, Macau highlighted ongoing efforts aligned with the Long-term Decarbonization Strategy of Macau and the Macau Environmental Protection Plan (2021–2025). These actions include controlling vehicle exhaust emissions, phasing out high-pollution vehicles, and promoting electric vehicles (EVs). The DSPA states, “These efforts have achieved positive results.”

In 2024, Macau continued supporting incentives for owners to replace old motorcycles and diesel vehicles under subsidy schemes. The government announced plans to launch a new phase of the Subsidy Scheme for Replacing Gasoline Motorcycles with New Electric Motorcycles in 2025. This updated program will cover all conventional motorcycles and run for five years, further accelerating EV adoption.

Additionally, Macau is advancing policies to enhance public charging infrastructure, tighten emission limits on motorcycles and diesel vehicles, regulate volatile organic compound content in construction adhesives, and boost local photovoltaic power generation.

Moreover, the government is considering another subsidy phase for phasing out old diesel vehicles.