Islamabad: After successfully phasing out the first generation of ozone depleting substances, Pakistan is in the process of phasing out hydro-fluorocarbons, said federal minister for climate change Mushahidullah Khan. "In the first phase of the hydro-fluorocarbons phase out management plan, we have eliminated the use of hydro-fluorocarbons from all major foam industry. The second phase of hydro-fluorocarbons phase out management plan is ready for launch with the help of the multilateral fund and its partners implementing agencies and cooperation with all stakeholders," he told the 11th Conference of Parties to the Vienna Convention for the protection of the ozone layer and the 29th meeting of the parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone layer being held in Montreal, Canada. The minister said Pakistan did not manufacture any of the ozone depleting substances. "We have a strict regulatory regime to check imports of these substances with a system of licensing and quotas for import of hydro- fluorocarbons. We are in process of introducing some additional regulations to streamline future use of substances and equipment in industry," he said. The minister said Pakistan had initiated the process of ratification of Kigali amendment and that a letter of endorsement to the UN Environment had been drafted to develop activity-enabling activity. He said in the context of phasing down of hydro- fluorocarbons, the country's concern existed due to a number of reasons which includes availability of substitute at affordable prices and transfer of technologies. "Being a developing economy, our industrial sector is already under stress in phasing out the hydro-fluorocarbons and is not mature to undergo another phase out and technology system," he said. The minister said Pakistan was among the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change and that it was threatened in many ways inter alia through glacier melting, low crop productivity, scorching summer temperature, prolonged heat spells, droughts and extreme precipitation.
