The Government has set out a series of environmental protection policies to mitigate environmental pollution, support environmental technology and green buildings, advocate energy saving and waste reduction as well as strengthen environmental education to build a sustainable future for Hong Kong. By taking forward various environmental protection measures and low carbon initiatives, Hong Kong aspires to be one of the greenest cities in the country.

• To tackle regional environmental issues, Hong Kong has been exchanging and co-operating with its Mainland and Macao partners on various environmental initiatives through the Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Environmental Protection and Combating Climate Change, the Hong Kong-Guangdong Joint Working Group on Cleaner Production, and the Hong Kong-Macao Environmental Protection Liaison Meeting.
• Since 2008, Guangdong and Hong Kong have joined hands to step up effort to promote cleaner production through the implementation of the Cleaner Production Partnership Programme, thereby improving the quality of the regional environment.
• In September 2014, Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao signed the Cooperation Agreement on Regional Air Pollution Control and Prevention among Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao to foster regional co-operation and enhance the regional air quality monitoring network by increasing the number of monitoring stations and parameters, and releasing real-time hourly concentration of each air pollutant.
• To bring continuous improvement to regional air quality of the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao conducted the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Regional PM2.5 Study from 2014 to 2017. Guangdong and Hong Kong are progressively implementing routine monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOC) concentrations in the regional network.

MacLehose Trail, Hong Kong

• To further strengthen air quality monitoring, protection of water environment and nature conservation in the region, Guangdong and Hong Kong signed the 2016-2020 Cooperation Agreement between Guangdong and Hong Kong on Environmental Protection in September 2016; and a mid-term review study on emission reduction targets of air pollutants in the Pearl River Delta region was completed in 2017 concluding the achievements of emission reduction in 2015 and finalising the emission reduction targets for 2020. In 2016, Hong Kong and Guangdong established the Hong Kong-Guangdong Marine Environmental Management Special Panel to enhance exchange and co-operation on marine environmental issues, including marine refuse management and response actions to marine environmental incidents, and in 2017 set up the Hong Kong-Guangdong Cross Boundary Notification Mechanism on Marine Refuse.
• In January 2019, Hong Kong implemented a new regulation which requires vessels to use low sulphur fuel within the waters of Hong Kong to reduce emissions and dovetail with the implementation of marine emission control areas in the Mainland.
• Guangdong and Hong Kong will continue to promote protection and conservation of coastal wetlands, such as mangroves at the Pearl River Estuary, and to enhance exchange in management and conservation of protected areas. A framework arrangement was signed by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Planning and Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality in January 2023 to strengthen collaboration in conservation of the wetland ecosystem in the estuary of Deep Bay / Shenzhen Bay.

Deep Bay and Mirs Bay Catchments

• Hong Kong and Shenzhen are jointly implementing action programmes to protect the water quality of the adjoining water bodies, including Deep Bay and Mirs Bay.
• The Environmental Protection Department and the Shenzhen Municipal Government entered into agreements in December 2007 and November 2008 respectively to strengthen cooperation on environmental protection and promotion of cleaner production to improve regional environmental quality.
• A memorandum of co‐operation (MOC) was signed in November 2018 by relevant institutions and universities in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, Beijing, and Shanghai to promote the development and application of retro‐commissioning (RCx) of buildings in the Greater Bay Area for enhancing energy saving. Under this framework, there will be regulator symposiums, technical forums and training courses in the Greater Bay Area for exchange of experience for capacity building of trade and promoting application of retro-commissioning for development of energy efficient buildings.
• On 29 April 2020, the China Meteorological Administration promulgated the Meteorological Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (2020-2035) to further strengthen meteorological co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, involving areas such as meteorological data sharing, meteorological scientific research and innovation, and training of meteorological personnel. Such co-operation would in turn help enhance the meteorological services in the three places. The Government is preparing to set up a supersite for the Greater Bay Area air quality laboratory and meteorology monitoring in Hong Kong to provide regional air pollution and meteorological monitoring and forecasting services, as well as to house the Greater Bay Area Meteorological Monitoring and Warning Centre (Hong Kong).
• In 2022, Guangdong and Hong Kong completed the joint study on Post-2020 Regional Air Pollutants Emission Reduction Targets and Concentration Levels. The two governments will continue to work together on ozone reduction and control.
• In 2021, Hong Kong and Shenzhen established the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Task Force to deepen co-operation and jointly take forward various co-operation items including further improvement of water quality of Shenzhen River, and in October of the same year set up the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Cross Boundary Notification Mechanism on Marine Refuse.
• The Environmental Protection Department and the National Marine Environmental Monitoring Centre signed the “Co-operation Arrangement on Carrying Out Marine Ecological and Environmental Protection Work” on 16 June 2023 to explore the strengthening of technical exchange and co-operation in areas including water quality monitoring, smart technology application, and marine pollution emergency response and impact assessment, which would help improve the quality of the marine ecological environment in the Greater Bay Area.
• The Environment and Ecology Bureau signed the Cooperation Arrangement on Technical Exchange on Environmental Monitoring with the China National Environmental Monitoring Centre of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on 27 October 2023, to strengthen co-operation in areas including monitoring of environmental water quality, environmental air quality, ecology and new pollutants.
• The Government announced the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong on 17 June 2024. The Strategy sets out the four major strategies of improving legislations, establishing standards, aligning with the market, and advancing with prudence to create an environment conducive to the development of hydrogen energy in Hong Kong in a prudent and orderly manner, so that Hong Kong would be able to capitalise on the environmental and economic opportunities brought about by the recent developments of hydrogen energy in different parts of the world, the country in particular. It can also help Hong Kong broaden co-operation with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and even the world, integrate into the country's overall development, and develop a new quality productive force.
• The Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China signed the Cooperation Arrangement on Capacity Building for Ecological and Environmental Protection Staff on 29 October 2024. The Cooperation Arrangement leverages on the HKSAR's advantages to strengthen the work of both parties on implementing international environmental conventions and pressing ahead with the ecological and environmental protection work for the green Belt and Road.