Old diesel vehicles on the way out

Hong Kong to spend US$1.3 billion to speed-up phase out of diesel vehicles.

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying announced the anti-pollution measure intended to improve the city’s unhealthy air quality that has been identified as the cause of thousands of unnecessary deaths each year.

The new subsidies are directed at the owners of 80,000 older commercial diesel vehicles. Analysts, however, believe that reducing air pollution also required the support of mainland authorities considering Hong Kong’s closeness to the manufacturing and shipping hubs of Guangdong, China’s industrial heartland.

They noted the proposed subsidy is a massive amount for an effort to replace old vehicles, and that Guangdong’s cooperation is needed for this plan to succeed.

Leung also said he would ask the Guangdong government to explore the possibility of requiring ocean-going vessels to switch to low sulfur diesel when they docked at ports in southern China. Hong Kong is proposing new legislation that orders ships to switch to this fuel when they berth in Hong Kong.