International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
Message from:
Honourable Zulfikar Mustapha, M.P.
Minister of Agriculture
This year, we celebrate 35 years of the Vienna Convention and 35 years of global ozone layer protection. Life on Earth would not be possible without sunlight; but the energy emanating from the sun would be too much for life on Earth to thrive were it not for the ozone layer. This stratospheric layer shields Earth from most of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. Sunlight makes life possible, but the ozone layer makes life as we know it possible.
When scientists working in the late 1970s discovered that humanity was creating a hole in this protective shield, they raised the alarm. The hole – caused by ozone-depleting gases (ODSs) used in aerosols and cooling, such as refrigerators and air-conditioners – was threatening to increase cases of skin cancer and cataracts, and damage plants, crops, and ecosystems.
The global response was decisive. In 1985, the world’s governments adopted the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. Under the Convention’s Montreal Protocol, governments, scientists and industries worked together to cut out 99 percent of all ozone-depleting substances. Thanks to the Montreal Protocol, the ozone layer is healing and expected to return to pre-1980 values by mid-century.
In support of the Protocol, the Kigali Amendment, which came into force in 2019, will work towards reducing Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), greenhouse gases with powerful climate warming potential and damaging to the environment.
Guyana acceded to the Montreal Protocol and became a Party among 197 Parties, including the European Union, to assist in the protection of the Ozone layer and the reduction of the use of substances that destroy the layer.
We have phased out the use of over seven chemicals that were used in the manufacturing and servicing industry of refrigeration, air conditioning and ice making industries. Currently, we are in the process of phasing out the use of HCFC 22, (R22), which is used in air conditioners and older models of ice machines.
With the introduction of new technologies, providing equipment and training with the assistance of our International partners, United Nations Environment, United Nations Development Programme and funding from the Multi-Lateral Fund Secretariat, Guyana has achieved much to add to the gains of our global partners. So much so that this Protocol is claimed to be the most successful of all the Environmental Treaties crafted thus far.
Guyana’s successes in this Protocol is fully supported by our local partners; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Customs and Trade Administration, Bureau of Standards, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Legal Affairs.
The Hydrometeorological Department of the Ministry of Agriculture will be conducting a number of virtual Public Awareness activities highlighting several Environmental Protocols in observance of World Ozone Day 2020.
World Ozone Day, held on September 16, celebrates this achievement. It shows that collective decisions and action, guided by science, are the only way to solve major global crises.
As we look ahead to global recovery from the social and economic devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we must commit to building stronger and more resilient societies. It is imperative that we put our efforts and investments into tackling climate change and protecting nature and the ecosystems that sustain us.
The ozone treaties stand out as inspiring examples demonstrating that, where political will prevails, there is little limit to what can be achieved in common cause. Let us take encouragement from how we have worked together to preserve the ozone layer and apply the same will to healing the planet and forging a brighter and more equitable future for all humanity.
The slogan of the day, ‘Ozone for life’, reminds us that not only is ozone crucial for life on Earth, but that we must continue to protect the ozone layer for future generations.