SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES CONTINUED VIGILANCE IN SAFEGUARDING ENVIRONMENT, IN MESSAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL DAY ON PRESERVATION OF OZONE LAYER
Press Release
SG/SM/6323
ENV/DEV/446
SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES CONTINUED VIGILANCE IN SAFEGUARDING ENVIRONMENT, IN MESSAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL DAY ON PRESERVATION OF OZONE LAYER
19970912 Following is the text of a message by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the occasion of the International Day for Preservation of the Ozone Layer, 16 September:Twenty-five kilometres above the earth lies a protective mantle that shields all of us from the direct gaze of the sun. The thinning of this veil, the ozone layer, was without question among the most alarming environmental and scientific discoveries of the century. The subsequent discovery of what depletion of the ozone layer could mean for our health and our economies has been equally shocking.
In some areas of global endeavour there has been more talk than action. In the case of ozone depletion, the international community moved with astonishing speed from concern to discussion, from discussion to agreement and from agreement to action.
Ten years ago today, the landmark Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was concluded. Since then, worldwide consumption of ozone-depleting substances has diminished dramatically. In developed countries, consumption has dropped by nearly 75 per cent. In developing countries, projects are under way to phase out 50,000 tonnes of ozone- depleting substances -- roughly one third of their consumption. These are impressive results, worthy of celebration, as we observe the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
The success of the Montreal Protocol is helping to ensure the safety of the ozone layer. It is also demonstrating the validity of the entire global effort to work multilaterally to protect our planetary environment and pursue sustainable development.
But the ozone layer will only heal if the phase-out of all ozone- depleting substances continues to take place on an urgent basis. As governments meet this week in Montreal, Canada, to mark the anniversary of the Montreal Protocol, let us recommit ourselves to the goal of a renewed and healthy ozone layer.
- 2 - Press Release SG/SM/6323 ENV/DEV/446 12 September 1997
Let us use this day to learn from the scientists and policy makers who had the foresight to take swift action on ozone depletion. Let us apply those lessons to the other global environmental challenges that confront us. Finally, let us keep fresh in our minds the understanding that agreements such as those to protect the ozone layer are not ends, but beginnings. To protect life on earth, to safeguard the environment on which all life depends, we must remain ever vigilant.
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