Federal Minister for Climate Change
Senator Mushahidullah Khan representing Pakistan at 11th Conference of Parties
to the Vienna Convention for the protection of the Ozone layer and the 29th
meeting of the parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the
Ozone layer being held in Montreal, Canada.
While
giving the country statement, Federal Minister for Climate Change highlighted
that after successfully phasing out the first generation of Ozone Depleting
substances, we are in the process of phasing out hydro fluorocarbons. In the
first phase of the hydro fluorocarbons phase out management plan, we have
phased out hydro fluorocarbons from all major foam industry. He also apprized
the delegates that the second phase of hydro fluorocarbons phase out management
plan is ready for launching with the help of the Multilateral fund and its
partners implementing agencies and cooperation with all stakeholders.
He
also informed that Pakistan does not manufacture any of the Ozone Depleting
Substances and we have a strict regulatory regime to check imports of these
substances with a system of licensing and quotas for import of hydro
fluorocarbons. We are in process of introducing some additional regulations to
streamline future use of substances and equipment in industry. He also told the
audience that Pakistan has initiated the process of ratification of Kigali
amendment. In this regard a letter of endorsement to UN Environment to develop
activity-enabling activity has been developed. He also highlighted that in
context of phasing down of Hydro fluorocarbons, our concern exist due to a
number of reasons which includes availability of substitute at affordable
prices and transfer of technologies. Being a developing economy, our industrial
sector is already under stress in phasing out the Hydro Fluorocarbons and is
not mature to undergo another phase out and technology system.
He
also highlighted that Pakistan is among
top 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change and is threatened in many
ways inter alia through glacier melting, low crop productivity, scorching
summer temperature, prolonged heat spells, droughts and extreme precipitation.
He also assured about commitment of government of Pakistan to protect Ozone
layer.
The
Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was adopted in 1985 and
entered into force on 22 Sep 1988. In 2009, the Vienna Convention became the
first Convention of any kind to achieve universal ratification. The objectives
of the Convention were for Parties to promote cooperation by means of
systematic observations, research and information exchange on the effects of
human activities on the ozone layer and to adopt legislative or administrative
measures against activities likely to have adverse effects on the ozone layer.
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the
Ozone Layer was designed to reduce the production and consumption of ozone
depleting substances in order to reduce their abundance in the atmosphere, and
thereby protect the earth's fragile ozone Layer. The original Montreal Protocol
was agreed on 16 September 1987 and entered into force on 1 January 1989.
