Harare, (New Ziana) -Zimbabwe is implementing the second stage Hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) Phase out Management Plan (HPMP) and has just submitted the Stage I Kigali Implementation Plan for consideration at the 95th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister Sithembiso Nyoni said this in a statement to mark the International Day for the preservation of the Ozone Layer, commonly known as World Ozone Day.
She said the Second Stage HPMP will enable the country to eliminate the use of HCFCs by January 1, 2030 and this will result in more climate benefits as these substances have high Global Warming Potentials.
“As the world replaces HFCs with ozone and climate-friendly refrigerants such as hydrocarbons (HCs), we are setting ourselves on a course to tackle both ozone layer depletion and climate change thereby improving the quality of life on earth.
“Reducing HFCs use is expected to avoid up to 0.4°C of global temperature rise by the end of this century, while simultaneously continuing to protect the stratospheric ozone layer,” she said.
Nyoni said the Stage II HPMP and Stage I Kigali Implementation Plan are being implemented in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Nyoni said the 2022 Scientific Assessment Panel Report confirmed that ozone layer recovery is on track and ozone levels are expected to return to 1980 levels by around 2066 over the Antarctic and by around 2046 over the Arctic. She said this was made possible through restricting the use of ozone-depleting substances and allowing the ozone layer to slowly recover.
“The Montreal Protocol has protected millions of people from skin cancer and eye cataracts, safeguarding ecosystems and slowing down climate change. The Montreal Protocol has managed to eliminate more than 99.9 percent of the ozone-depleting substances which are also greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and climate change”, she said.
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol which was adopted in October 2016 aims to phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) which are powerful greenhouse gases that replaced ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in the cooling industry, she explained.
This, said Nyoni, puts the Montreal Protocol at the forefront of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements fighting to combat climate change, hence the theme, ‘Montreal Protocol: Advancing Climate Action’ for this year’s Ozone Day commemorations.
On September 16, 1987, countries of the World adopted the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The Montreal Protocol aims to gradually reduce and eventually eliminate the production and use of manmade chemicals that deplete the ozone layer.
Through resolution 49/114, the United Nations General Assembly on December 22, 1994, proclaimed September 16 as the International Day for the preservation of the Ozone Layer and invited all Parties to commemorate it every year. The stratospheric Ozone Layer acts as a shield that protects life on earth from dangerous Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and allows only sufficient UV doses that are needed for the sustenance of life for human beings, plants and animals.
Man-made chemicals used mostly in refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) are depleting this protective ozone layer. Depletion of this vital protective shield causes eye cataracts, skin cancers and suppresses the immune system in human beings. The Ozone layer depletion also reduces crop yields, degrades synthetic materials and affects aquatic organisms.
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