Land-locked Kyrgyzstan and its unlocked ambition. International Ozone day. Safeguarding the ozone layer and protecting the climate system
Ahead of the impending international agreement to amend the Montreal Protocol, Kyrgyzstan has begun the phased reduction in consumption of Hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) by taking their national inventory and review. HFCs are dangerous global warming gases having global warming potential thousands of times more than carbon dioxide.
At the same time Kyrgyzstan has officially set on march accelerated phase-out of Hydrochloroflurocarbons (HCFCs) to match the schedule fixed for the developed countries as per the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer. HCFCs are the only ozone depleting gases constituting less than one percent of total ozone depleting gases still remained to be phased out. Kyrgyzstan will now phase out HCFCs by 2020, though Protocol allows Kyrgyzstan to do so by 2030.
‘International Ozone Day is the occasion to celebrate and award the past achievements and push the paddle for super fast actions on remaining tasks under the Montreal Protocol that will help in safeguarding the ozone layer and global climate system. We in Kyrgyzstan are proud that we are able to do exactly that on 16th September,’ said Mars Amanaliev, head of the national ozone unit of Kyrgyzstan’s State Agency of Environment and Forestry. ‘Accelerated phase out of HCFCs, in addition to helping in early recovery of the ozone layer, helps Kyrgyzstan to effectively fight illegal trade in ozone depleting substances in the region’, he added.
Rajendra Shende, Chairman TERRE and former Director at UNEP were the chief guest for 2016 events on international ozone day when above announcements were made.
At the inauguration of International Science Conference organized at Kyrgyz State University, certificates of appreciation signed by Tina Birmpili, Executive Secretary of UNEP, were presented by Mr. Shende to well known and distinguished scientists Dr. Toktomyshev, Prof. M. Orozaliev and Dr.V.Sinyakov. They were engaged in pioneering ozone layer research work since 1979 and were instrumental in establishing the ozone and climate monitoring research station at Issyk-Kul, the only such station between Ural Mountains and Pacific Ocean.
‘We have been benefitted in our career by the UNEP’s training for the technicians in alternative refrigerants. We feel that future batches will continue to take advantage of such training for restoring ozone layer and climate.’ said one of the two top performing technicians trained last year and who were presented with awards by Mr. Shende. Teaching aids and tool kits were handed over to the vocational training institute for refrigeration technicians in Bishkek as a part of the capacity building assistance from the multilateral ozone fund through implementing agencies-UNEP and UNDP. 50 technicians attended the event.
250 graduate students from Osh Technological Institute in city of Osh and 200 secondary school students from three schools in capital city of Bishkek participated in workshops and awareness activities on Ozone layer protection and its linkages with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) during the day.
‘Land-locked Kyrgyzstan harbors unlocked ambition in safeguarding the ozone layer and climate system. Small countries are making giant contribution to sustainable future’, said Mr. Shende while delivering the concluding speech on ‘Ozone Sweet Dream and Climate Wake Up Call’ at the American University of Central Asia.