Montreal Protocol Industrialists pledge to protect ozone

ISLAMABAD: Environmentalists, industrialists, manufacturers and academia on Wednesday pledged to jointly work with the climate change ministry to completely phase out the use of ozone layer depleting substances in Pakistan under the Montreal Protocol. 

The pledge was made at the day-long workshop on ‘Kigali Amendment-the Way Forward’ organised by the Ozone Cell of the Ministry of Climate Change in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

UNEP Asia-Pacific regional director Dechen Tsering, who was the chief guest at the event, told the participants that the ozone-depleting substances generally contained chlorine, fluorine, bromine, carbon, and hydrogen in varying proportions and were often described by the general term halocarbons.

“Besides, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform are important human-produced ozone-depleting gases that have been used in many applications including refrigeration, air conditioning, foam blowing, cleaning of electronics components and as solvents,” she added.

She appreciated Pakistan’s commitment to phasing out the ozone depleting substances under the Montreal Protocol.  “The UN Environment Programme will remain actively engaged with Pakistan in development of enabling activities for the phasing down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which was reached in the Rwanda capital of Kigali in October 15, 2016.”

Climate Change Ministry secretary Syed Abu Ahmad Akif acknowledged the support of the UNEP along with other implementing agencies, in achieving the compliance set under Montreal Protocol for phasing out the ozone layer-damaging gases in Pakistan. 

“We humans cannot continue to live a healthy life, if we don’t make our lifestyle nature-compatible and live our lives in complete harmony with nature,” he said. He told the participants that using electric appliances, particularly air conditioning systems and refrigerators at home or offices prudently would help reduce pressure on our energy systems and local heat impacts in our urban areas.

Climate Change Ministry International Cooperation joint secretary Rizwan Ahmad Sheikh said under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, countries were required to gradually reduce the use of HFCs by 80-85 percent till the year 2040.

The joint secretary said the country was able to reduce 10 percent use of the HCFCs by 2015 under the Pakistan’s HCFC phase-Out Management Plan (HPMP).

The country was well on track to achieve 35 percent more reduction in the HCFC use in air conditioning systems, refrigerators and other appliances produced by the industrial sector, he added.

Earlier, UNEP Asia-Pacific senior regional coordinator Atul Bagai and UN Industrial Development Organisation’s consultant Iqbal P Sheikh also underlined the need for Pakistan to closely work with industrial sectors to reduce use of the environmentally-harmful and ozone layer cracking gases, particularly in the industries which produce refrigerators and air conditioning systems.

They stressed that getting rid of the 13 different ozone depleting substances (ODSs) including HCFC and CFC was inevitable to protect the ozone layer or ozone shield, which protects all life on earth and environment from adverse impacts of the ultraviolet rays. Many governments have banned products that produce these ODS.

The Kigali Amendment is expected to come into force – on January 1, 2019 – only nine countries have ratified it. Because, the deal to come into force at least 20 parties need to have ratified it. 

Countries that have hitherto ratified the Kigali Amendment include Mali, the Federate State of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Rwanda, Palau, Norway, Chile, Tuvalu and The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Pakistan has already signed the Amendment and is likely to ratify it soon.