The UN marked International Ozone Day with a call to reach global consensus on a phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), highlighting that such a move could avoid up to half a degree of global warming by the end of the 21st century.
16 September 2016: The UN marked International Ozone Day with a call to reach global consensus on a phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), highlighting that such a move could avoid up to half a degree of global warming by the end of the 21st century.
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer has been observed every year since 1994, to mark the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which took place on 16 September 1987. This year, the Day was celebrated around the theme ‘Ozone and climate: Restored by a world united.’
A phasedown of HFCs is on the agenda for the October 2016 Meeting of Parties to the Montreal Protocol in Kigali, Rwanda. HFCs are used in refrigeration and air-conditioning technology, and have been widely adopted as an alternative to ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). While effective in this regard, more recently scientists have discovered that HFCs are also short-lived climate pollutants and are contributing towards global warming.
In his message to mark the Day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon emphasized that phasing down HFCs would not only help limit global warming, but could also significantly improve the energy efficiency of some alternative refrigerants and technologies.
Air quality was one of the main issues highlighted in European regional assessment work by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment) and partners in preparation of the Sixth Global Environment Outlook report (GEO-6), due in mid-2017. At a 15 September event organized by UN Environment and the Global Resource Information Database in Warsaw, Poland (GRID-Warsaw Centre), UN Environment regional director Jan Dusik stressed that the transition to an inclusive green economy must build on clean production systems, healthy consumption choices, resilient ecosystems and the sound management of chemicals.
The regional assessment found that air pollution in Poland caused more than 44,000 premature deaths each year. Participants at the event committed to increasing cooperation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015. [Press Release on International Day] [UNSG’s Message] [Press Release on Preparations for GEO-6] [International Ozone Day Website]