World Ozone Day: Safegarding life on earth by protecting ozone layer

New Delhi: World Ozone Day is being observed across the global today ( September 16) to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which aimed to phase out substances that deplete the ozone layer.

The day is dedicated to raising awareness about the crucial role of the ozone layer in safeguarding life on Earth. This year’s Ozone Day is celebrated under the theme “From Science to Global Action.”

The campaign underscores how scientific findings translated into policy measures and international cooperation, demonstrating the power of united efforts in addressing environmental challenges.

This year, on the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, we celebrate this historic achievement and look forward to another forty years of action.

The Montreal Protocol and Vienna Convention remain crucial for monitoring ozone and UV radiation levels, as well as ozone-depleting substances and other chemicals, such as hydrofluorocarbons, being phased out under the Kigali Amendment.

Forty years ago, nations came together under the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and agreed to take appropriate measures to protect people and the planet from harmful UV radiation pouring through a potentially damaged ozone layer.

Vienna Convention:-The scientific confirmation of the depletion of the ozone layer prompted the international community to establish a mechanism for cooperation to take action to protect the ozone layer. This was formalized in the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, which was adopted and signed by 28 countries, on 22 March 1985. In September 1987, this led to the drafting of The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Montreal Protocol:- The principal aim of the Montreal Protocol is to protect the ozone layer by taking measures to control total global production and consumption of substances that deplete. The groups of chemicals are classified according to the chemical family and are listed in annexes to the Montreal Protocol text. The Protocol requires the control of nearly 100 chemicals, in several categories.

In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 16 September the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date of the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Phasing out Green House gases:- The HCFC phase-out schedule was introduced in 1992 for developed and developing countries, the latter with a freeze in 2015, and final phase-out by 2030 in developed countries and 2040 in developing countries. In 2007, Parties to the Montreal Protocol decided to accelerate the HCFC phase-out schedule for both developed and developing countries.

On 16th September 2009, the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol became the first treaties in the history of the United Nations to achieve universal ratification. The Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer reached agreement at their 28th Meeting of the Parties on 15 October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda to phase-down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).