The United Nations should twin its efforts to combat ozone depletion and climate change to reap the greatest economic and environmental benefits, governments concluded at a global gathering. The call for greater cooperation between United Nations treaties on ozone and global warming was issued in November, at the end of a meeting in Doha, Qatar, of the 193 governments that are party to the Montreal Protocol and the Vienna Convention.

Participants asked the Executive Secretary of the Montreal Protocol to pursue closer ties with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and explore how best to slash the release of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), one of the six greenhouse gases controlled under the Kyoto Protocol of UNFCCC. They also suggested that phasing out hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) would be mutually beneficial in addressing both the ozone layer and climate change.

HCFCs were earlier considered as transitional substances to replace more ozone-damaging substances in some applications such as refrigeration and foam because of low ODP, but they themselves are to be replaced by new ozone- and climate-friendly chemicals. The participants also discussed the best means to destroy harmful substances stored in old equipment, as well as funding to help developing countries to eliminate ozone-damaging chemicals.

Source: www.un.org

Military experts from Australia, the Netherlands and the United States will help save the ozone layer and fight global warming under a unique partnership between the United Nations, national governments and the armed services. The new programme, spearheaded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Defence, will make use of technical experts in the military already on the ground. The initiative was announced to delegates from more than 150 governments at the conclusion of a five-day meeting in Doha of Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Mr. Marco Gonzalez, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Ozone Secretariat, said, The military in many countries have been at the forefront of efforts to phase out ozone depleting substances. Their experience can be invaluable for developing countries facing similar challenges. The military experts are offering to assist countries in the safe collection of stockpiles and banks of unwanted, ozone-depleting substances (ODS). They will give support and advice on the shipping, labelling and other procedures needed to fast-track the chemicals to disposal centres around the world.

The partnership could dramatically cut the costs of the disposal of ozone-depleting chemicals such as halons, hydrofluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons to a third or less of the current market cost. The partners hope that by joining forces, civilian ODS destruction programmes will be able to benefit from these low-cost contracts, making them cheaper and more attractive to undertake. Argentina will be one of the first countries to take advantage of this opportunity to safely dispose of the obsolete chemicals.

The Ozone Secretariat will act as co-ordinator with the Secretariat of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, as well as other conventions to ensure the transport of unwanted ODS to countries with destruction facilities is correctly permitted. Officials say this co-ordination will streamline the shipments of chemicals to proper destruction facilities.

Source: wwww.ens-newswire.com

As a party to the Montreal Protocol, the Philippines is on schedule in its commitment to phase out the use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) by 2010. Dr. Ella Deocadiz, programme manager of the Philippine Ozone Desk Institutional Strengthening Project, said the country is committed to eliminate the production and use of ODS following an ODS Phase-out schedule.

The regional ozone network, a multi-agency task force created to promote information on ozone layer protection in the Philippines, has already decided to reach out to the grassroots for intensified information dissemination, Dr. Deocadiz said. In terms of awareness, she cited government agencies as moderately informed. However, awareness is high among manufacturing sector because they are the ones importing and using ODS. Her team is meeting with stakeholders to work on their communication strategies to widen the dissemination of information on ODS and their effects on the ozone layer.

Source: www.balita.ph

Pakistan has been elected as the Co-Chair of the Open Ended Working Group for 2009 at the 20th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on the Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Ministers, deputy ministers for environment, ambassadors and delegates of 193 member states to the Montreal Protocol attended the meeting held at Doha, during 16-20 November 2008. The Pakistani delegation, headed by Pakistans Ambassador to Qatar Mr. Muhammad Asghar Afridi, included Mr. Khizar Hayat Khan, Joint Secretary for Environment and Mr. Muhammad Maqsood Akhtar, Programme Manager, Ozone Cell. It advocated specifically the case for funding from the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol for the conversion of CFCs-based MDI manufacturing pharmaceutical firms into ozone-friendly technology.

Source: www.thenews.com.pk

Viet Nam requires about US$15 million to eliminate hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in accordance with the Montreal Protocol over the next 15 years, a climatologist said. Mr. Le Cong Thanh, acting head of the Department for Hydrometeorology and Climate Change under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, stated this at a recent seminar to launch a programme to phase out the use refrigerant-22 (R22), used mainly in refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) equipment.

According to the Montreal Protocol, Viet Nam will begin to phase out HCFCs, including R22, from 2010. By 2025, the country aims to cut the use of HCFCs by 67.5 per cent. Mr. Thanh said that his department conducted a general survey of HCFCs use in Viet Nam and co-operated with international organizations to map out programmes and projects to seek finance and technology for a total phase-out of HCFCs in Viet Nam. The quantity of HCFCs, particularly R22, used in the RAC industries is on the increase, Mr. Thanh said, adding that finding an ideal alterative refrigerant is a major challenge facing the industry.

Source: english.vietnamnet.vn