Ozone protection was ratified by 150 countries in Quito
Ecuadornews:
The celebration of the thirtieth meeting of the Montreal Protocol, in Quito, closed with new mandates, among them, that the parties carry out atmospheric measurements on harmful gases.
Look for initiatives to reduce the emission of refrigerant or harmful gases for the ozone layer. That was the main conclusion reached in the international meeting that took place from November 5 to 9 among the signatories of the Montreal Protocol.
According to the document, the signatories aim to combat theemanation of trichlorofluoromethane (also known as CFC composed of chlorine,fluoride and carbon), chemicals used in air conditioners, appliances orrefrigerators of all kinds, which have a greenhouse effect and contribute towarming global.
The 30th meeting was held in the city of Quito and this is the first time it has been held in South America. President Lenin Moreno underlined during the opening of the event the importance of seeking an inclusive sustainable development to “protect the house in which our children and grandchildren should live”.
Jorge Jurado, undersecretary of Environmental Quality, said at thetime that “Ecuador leads the promotion and defense of initiatives toprotect the planet.” For this reason, he added, he was chosen to host themeeting, “which reflects the confidence of the international community inmeeting environmental obligations.”
At the meeting, the delegates also negotiated practical arrangements for the implementation of the Kigali amendment, which approved technologies for the destruction of controlled substances under the Protocol, and adopted new information requirements.
They also undertake to review the measures taken by the parties to ensure the phase-out of CFCs and inform the UN Ozone Secretariat of any potential deviation from compliance that may contribute to the unexpected increase in CFC-11 emissions.
The Kigali amendment will enter into force on January 1, 2019 and is expected to prevent 0.5 ° C global warming by the end of the century by requiring countries to reduce the production and consumption of refrigerators, air conditioners and related products in more than 80 % in the next 30 years.
So far, the document has been ratified by 60 parties, including Ecuador. The step was finalized by Executive Decree 209, signed by President Lenin Moreno, after the Constitutional Court decided that the decision did not require approval of the Assembly.
To maximize the climate benefits of the Kigali amendment, delegates requested the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol to consider financial support for enabling activities. Lorena Tapia, ex-Minister of the Environment and current president of the Governing Council of the Galapagos Islands, highlighted the scope of the measure in case of fulfilling it according to plan.
“If each country signatory of the agreement complies with theobligations of the protocol would speak of a recovery until 2050 of the ozonelayer,” she said. Tapia expressed concern about the lack of commitment ofcertain nations. “Countries like the United States are responsible for thegreatest amount of emissions and global warming and must respond in proportionto that responsibility,” she said. (I)
Source: https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/sociedad/6/proteccion-ozono-ecuador