MINEPDED press for ban on ozone depleting subs.

The Inspector General in the Ministry of the Environment, Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development, MINEPDED, Bartholomew Ndongo, has said Government is ready to assist individuals discard equipment such as old refrigerators and pulverisers, air conditioners, among others, that contain ozone depleting substances.

He made the declaration in Yaounde on September 16, during activities marking this year’s World Ozone Day commemoration. The day was placed under the theme; “Ozone Layer Protection: the Mission Continues.”

Stating that much has been done to stem the emission of ozone depleting substances, Ndongo said the National Ozone Office lodged in MINEPDED, is ready to technically assist members of the public dispose of equipment or change the dangerous substances that deplete the ozone layer.

He said, even though the hole on the layer is recovering, concerted action is still needed for more progress to be made. Referring to the theme of the commemoration, Ndongo remarked that it was chosen to galvanise stakeholders and encourage partners to do more for the protection of the life-saving layer.

“A day like this is meant for reflection and sharing experiences on ways to eliminate the substances destroying the ozone layer,” he stated. Such substances are classified under a group of gases called chlorofluorocarbons, CFCs.

The Inspector General held that the ozone layer is the protector of life on earth, reason why parties to the 1994 Montreal Protocol and its amendments are mutually encouraging its protection. He stated that the Government of Cameroon through MINEPDED is putting in place projects to encourage the use of alternative substances to those that deplete the ozone layer.

In a message from the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, read on the occasion on behalf of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Cameroon, Dr. Martin Zeh-Nlo, recalled that “just over a quarter century ago, the world united to reverse the rapid depletion of the atmospheric ozone layer, which protects the earth from harmful radiation from space. Today, the ozone layer is well on track to recovery within the next few decades,” he stated.

According to the UN Scribe, “the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer is widely recognised as one of the most successful environmental treaties in history. It establishes legally binding controls on the national production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances and enjoys universal ratification by 197 parties.”

The message states that “recent scientific findings reveal the importance of the Montreal Protocol. Without the Protocol and associated agreements, atmospheric levels of ozone-depleting substances could have increased 10-fold by 2050.

Concerted action has prevented millions of cases of skin cancer. “The protocol has significantly contributed to the fight against climate change, as many ozone-depleting substances are powerful greenhouse gases. Climate change is affecting communities, economies and ecosystems across the globe. It is essential that we act to mitigate the threat with the same unity of purpose as we have in facing the dangers of ozone depletion,” Ban Ki Moon appeals.

The occasion was also an avenue for students of some Yaounde-based institutions to compete for various prizes through quizzes, sketches, poems and songs. Members of the Little Angels for the Environment Cameroon, LANEC, also presented a sketch bordering on the causes, consequences and remedies to ozone layer depletion.