Federal Minister for
Climate Change, Senator Mushahidullah Khan, has said that Pakistan would
continue to support global efforts and contribute to protect human health and
environment by completely phasing out
the use of ozone-layer-depleting substances (ODSs) in the country and replacing
them with more effective and environmentally-safer alternatives in line with the Montreal Protocol.
“The country has been at
the forefront in its endeavours to phase out use of Ozone Depleting Substances
(ODSs) Because, ridding the world of 13
different ozone-depleting substances (ODSs), including
hydro-chloro-fluoro-carbons (HCFC) and chloro-fluoro-carbons (CFC), is critical
to protecting the ozone layer, which protects all life on earth
from adverse fallouts of the ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and its
spill-over effect of environment,” the minister emphasised while addressing the
high-level ministerial segment of the Joint 11th Conference of
the Parties to the Vienna Convention and 29th Meeting of the Parties to the
Montreal Protocol held in Montreal, Canada.
Environment and climate change ministers from
around over 197 developing and developed countries attended ministerial round
table discussions on the theme “Montreal Protocol at 30: Identifying future
opportunities and priorities” on November 23-24, after the opening of the
high-level segment of the meeting on November 23.
One
year after they reached a landmark agreement (the Kigali Amendment) to phase
down climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the 197 developed and
developing country parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete
the Ozone Layer and the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
met in Montreal, Canada, to enhance their efforts to protect the ozone layer
and to mitigate climate change.
Among the issues the
parties will consider are: the funding level for the replenishment of the
Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol for the 2018
to 2020 triennium to support developing countries in their efforts to continue
the phase-out of ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and to
initiate enabling activities for the phase-down of HFCs.
The Climate Change
Mushahidullah Khan told the ministers from 197 countries during the high-level
meeting that as the world marks the 30th anniversary of the
Montreal Protocol this year, there is a lot of good news to celebrate.
“It is truly
heartening to note that the Protocol has led to the phase-out of over 99 per
cent of nearly 100 ozone-depleting chemicals and significantly contributed to
climate change mitigation. As of today, the ozone layer is showing signs of
healing and is set to recover by the middle of the century. And Pakistan is
very much part of the efforts that have led to the phase-out,” the minister
explained, smilingly.
The
Montreal Protocol, considered to be the most successful global environmental
agreement setting out commitments by every country in the world to eliminate
production and use of chemicals which damage the ozone layer.
The
Protocol has contributed significantly to the mitigation of climate change by
averting more than 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions
(as some ozone-depleting substances are also powerful greenhouse gases) in the
atmosphere from 1990 to 2010.
And as a result of
ozone protection efforts under the Protocol, up to 2 million cases of skin
cancer may be prevented globally each year by 2030.
Mr. Khan said as the world
marks the 30th anniversary of the Protocol this year, there is
a lot of good news to celebrate. The Protocol has led to the phase-out of more
than 99 per cent of nearly 100 ozone-depleting chemicals and significantly
contributed to climate change mitigation. As of today, the ozone layer is
showing signs of healing and is set to recover by the middle of the century.
While explaining
further the contribution of Pakistan, Mushahidullah Khan said that after
successfully phasing out the first generation of ODSs in Pakistan as a part of
global efforts to mitigate climate change the country is now in the process of
phasing out HCFCs altogether.
“In phase-I of the
Hydrofluorocarbons Phase-Out Management Plan (HPMP), we have almost phased out
HCFCs from all our major foam industry. In fact we have phased out 80 tons of Ozone
depletion potential (ODP) of HCFC-141b and replaced it with cyclopentane, which
is climate and environmental-friendly alternative substance HCFCs.”
“Moreover, the second phase
of the HPMP is ready for launching and we hope to expedite this phase with the
help of the multilateral funding opportunities and its partner implementing
agencies and cooperation with all stakeholders,” the climate change minister
said further.
He highlighted that
although Pakistan does not manufacture any of the Ozone Depleting Substances,
the country has a strict regulatory regime to check imports of these
substances, with a system of licensing and quotas for import of HCFCs in place.
Besides, the country
is also in process of introducing some additional regulations to streamline
future use of substances and equipment in industry, Mushahidullah Khan added.
The climate change minister
also highlighted that phasing out HCFCs from major industrial concerns in
Pakistan was less complex, but the difficult part lies ahead, which is phasing
out HCFCs from smaller enterprises and the servicing sector. Because, the
servicing sector is more informal and unwieldy and would require more concerted
efforts than the initial phase, given the fact that options on alternatives are
limited and expensive.
The minister said
that Pakistan is amongst the top-10 most climate-vulnerable countries and is
threatened in many ways, inter-alia, through glacier melting, low crop
productivity, scorching summer temperatures, prolonged heat spells, drought and
extreme precipitation.
“However, Pakistan is
more concerned about the climate-altering emissions at the global level and has
been pro-actively part to help the world get rid of all the global warming
gases but would prefer to achieve this without compromising on principles and
transparency,” Mushahidullah Khan cautioned the world leaders.
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