STATES TO CONSIDER STRONGER ACTION TO PROTECT OZONE LAYER IN VIENNA, 28 NOVEMBER-7 DECEMBER
Press Release
HE/917
STATES TO CONSIDER STRONGER ACTION TO PROTECT OZONE LAYER IN VIENNA, 28 NOVEMBER-7 DECEMBER
19951122 VIENNA, 20 November (UNEP) -- Ten years after the Vienna Convention on ozone was signed, and just weeks after startling new evidence revealed that the Antarctic ozone "hole" had become bigger than ever, up to 150 governments will meet here, from 28 November to 7 December, to consider further reductions in methyl bromide and other ozone-depleting chemicals."The risk we face is that our apparent success in tackling this issue over the last 10 years is causing complacency", says Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). "People must understand that the ozone problem is not yet solved, and that unless we continue to control and phase out emissions the ozone layer will not recover."
Under the Convention's Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, governments have agreed to phase out the major chemicals that destroy ozone in the stratosphere. These include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) -- totally banned by 1996, halons (1994), methyl chloroform and carbon tetrachloride (1996). Those dates apply to industrialized countries. Developing countries agreed to phase those out by 2010. The industrialized countries will phase out hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) by the year 2030 and freeze methyl bromide by 1995. The developing countries have not yet agreed to any control measures for HCFCs and methyl bromide.
One key proposal is an amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase out methyl bromide, the most important ozone-depleting chemical whose phase-out has not yet been agreed. Methyl bromide is now economically important for soil fumigation for some crops and for fumigation of export commodities; some 70,000 tons are produced every year.
Because no single alternative for all the uses of methyl bromide is yet available, a number of countries have argued that the remaining scientific, technical and economic uncertainties should be resolved, and substitutes clearly identified, before this chemical is controlled.
Various schedules are being considered, including a full phase-out by 2011. A related issue is a debate over the precise definition of the shipping-related exemptions that are permitted for "quarantine" and "pre-shipment applications". It is further being proposed that developing countries, too, should commit themselves to controlling their consumption of methyl bromide.
Another proposed amendment would accelerate the phase-out by developing countries of CFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform. One proposal is to advance the phase-out for consumption of those substances to 2006 from the currently agreed 2010.
There are also proposals for an amendment to accelerate the phase-out for consumption of HCFCs by the industrialized countries from the year 2030 to 2015. The HCFCs are used as a replacement for CFCs but, although much less dangerous, they too deplete the ozone layer. Developing countries, which have not so far accepted any controls for HCFCs, are being asked to agree to some controls.
The various phase-out schedules are made more flexible by the "essential use" exemptions, which must be approved by Meetings of the Parties. For example, the Russian Federation has applied for an exemption to consume a limited quantity of halons for fire-fighting purposes. Others have requested exemptions for using CFCs in medical aerosols. The issue of use of CFCs as process agents (i.e. feedstock that does get used up but not converted to some other chemical) is before the meeting. Some countries propose that exemptions be more limited, that "feedstock" be more rigorously defined. Similarly, the developing country exemption for "basic domestic needs" has led to debate over the precise definition of that term.
Other concerns include dumping, illegal traffic, and uncontrolled production of those substances. Recent news stories have highlighted the growth in black market traffic as the phase-out nears completion. The countries with economies in transition, scheduled to phase out by 1996 together with the industrialized countries, are pleading their inability to do so; the meeting will discuss that issue.
Financial issues are also on the agenda. To help developing countries switch to ozone-friendly chemicals, the Montreal Protocol established a multilateral fund, which facilitates technology transfer and meets the "incremental costs" incurred by recipient countries. Unfortunately, contributions to the fund are often late. Governments will consider measures for improving the operation of the fund and for restructuring project review procedures.
- 3 - Press Release HE/917 22 November 1995
The two-week session includes a four-day preparatory meeting (28 November to 1 December), a ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of the Vienna Convention (4 December), and a three-day Meeting of the Parties (MOP-7) at the ministerial level (5-7 December). About 500 participants are expected, including representatives from parties and observers from non-parties, industry, environmental non-governmental organizations and collaborating organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the World Bank, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The Montreal Protocol has been ratified by 150 countries.
The CFCs are inert odorless gases used in refrigeration, aerosols, foams, industrial cleaners and have many other applications. Halons are used in fire extinguishers. They destroy the stratospheric ozone layer, allowing more of the sun's ultraviolet light to reach the Earth's surface, where it can damage crops and other plants, cause skin cancer and cataracts in humans, and destroy the phytoplankton that underlies the marine food chain. Because CFCs and other chemicals remain in the atmosphere for decades, the ozone layer will continue to thin for years before it eventually recovers -- assuming that additional reductions take place now.
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