Joint efforts pledged to phase out ozone layer depleting substances

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.

During a day-long workshop on ‘Kigali Amendment- the Way Forward' here, they said getting rid of the 13 different ozone depleting substances (ODSs) including hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) is inevitable to protect the ozone layer or ozone shield, which protects all sorts of the life on earth and environment from adverse impacts of ultraviolet (UV) rays or radiation of the Sun.

They said the harmful substances strike the ozone and splits it apart but the ozone depletion had led to a global concern as the thinning protective coat over Earth was letting harmful ultraviolet light pass, which had led to many health hazards like skin cancer, damages to plants and plankton as well as cataracts and therefore, many governments have banned products that produce these ODS.

The ozone layer is a belt of the naturally occurring gas "ozone." It sits 9.3 to 18.6 miles (15 to 30 kilometers) above Earth, and serves as a shield from the harmful ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation emitted by the sun. Ozone is a highly reactive molecule that contains three oxygen atoms.

Speaking as the chief guest on the occasion, Dechen Tsering, Asia-Pacific regional director at the United Nations Environment Programme, said the ozone-depleting substances generally contain chlorine, fluorine, bromine, carbon, and hydrogen in varying proportions and are often described by the general term halocarbons. Besides, HCFC, 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 appreciated the commitment of Pakistan to phasing out the ozone depleting substances under Montreal Protocol, which is considered to be the most successful global environmental agreement setting out commitments by every country in the world to eliminate production and use of the chemicals that damage the ozone layer. 

Ms. Tsering reiterated, “The UN Environment Programme will remain actively engaged with Pakistan in development of enabling activities for the phasing down of HCFCs under Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which was reached in the Rwanda capital of Kigali in October 15, 2016.”

The event was organisd by the Ozone Cell of the Ministry of Climate Change in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme here in Islamabad to discuss various aspects and way-forward of the ozone depleting gases in Pakistan. The vent was attended by various government and non-governmental organisations, academia, researchers, students and representatives of industries.