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Tag: Ozone layer

  • ‘Sustainable practices will keep Ozone layer, earth safe’

    ‘Sustainable practices will keep Ozone layer, earth safe’

    Nigerians must adopt sustainable practices, harness science and technology for positive change, and advocate for a climate-resilient future to keep the Ozone layer and earth safe.

    Laos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, spoke at the celebration of World Ozone Day, themed ‘Montreal Protocol: Advancing Climate Action’.

    The event was organised by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), in collaboration with the Nigerian Association of Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Practitioners (NARAP), among other stakeholders.

    Wahab, who reiterated the significance of the ozone layer in regulating the earth’s climate, noted that Lagos’ unique geography makes it vulnerable to coastal flooding, thus emphasising the need for urgent actions.

    He outlined the government’s efforts towards addressing climate change including the Climate Action Plan by achieving carbon neutrality by 2050; ensuring the use of ozone-friendly refrigerants, phasing out harmful substances and promoting alternatives; environmental regulations, ensuring compliance with international treaties and national laws; sustainable practices, encouraging renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

    General Manager of LASEPA Babatunde Ajayi said the advocacy programme is to sensitise the public on the Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) substances and other greenhouse gases which deplete the Ozone layer, and their effects on the climate.

    Ajayi noted that Lagos is one of the top destinations for used cooling equipment around the world. “Hence, adequate awareness needs to be passed on the effects of the equipment on the environment,” he noted.

    “Lagos State is vulnerable to climate changes arising from our various activities, and if adequate and effective measures are not taken, considerable physical, ecological and socio-economic losses would be incurred.

    “LASEPA has taken up this responsibility to enlighten and inform the public about the depletion of the Ozone layer on this year’s World Ozone Day. There are policies guiding us, and we do enforcement from time to time. We are in a very strong partnership with the association that governs the activities in Lagos, and also with the federal agency that oversees the Ozone layer.

    “We visit these people from time to time to enforce these policies we have put together and ensure they comply with the regulations on the handling of the materials that contain the ozone-depleting gases.

    “As part of measures to curb these problems, the Lagos State government on September 11, held a stakeholder engagement and launched a Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) registry. This initiative follows the alarming rate of Greenhouse Gas emissions and the devastating effects on the air quality,” he added.

    Read Also: FACT CHECK: There is a hole in Ozone layer

    Federal Controller of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Lagos, Mrs. Olabimpe Adenaike, said the federal government is working to curve the depletion of the Ozone layer.

    She said: “The ports are entry points for refrigerants, so Customs officers have been trained to seize such to prevent them from permeating the country. The ministry is also disseminating information, providing technical assistance, training and expertise, as well as making funding available to those who need it.”

    President of the Nigerian Association of Refrigerator and Air Conditioning Practitioners (NARAP) John Akhapue said the association has been partnering with the federal government, especially on ozone layer issues, and will continue to adhere to government policies and sensitise its members on the dangers of a depleted Ozone layer.

  • World Ozone Day: All you need to know

    By Olusegun Esther

    “For over three decades, the Montreal Protocol has done much more than shrink the ozone hole; it has shown us how environmental governance can respond to science, and how countries can come together to address a shared vulnerability. I call for that same spirit of common cause and, especially, greater leadership as we strive to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change and mobilize the ambitious climate action we so urgently need at this time.”
    UN Secretary-General António Guterres

    Every year, on September 16, the world celebrates the International day for the preservation of Ozone layer as the World Ozone Day.

    SINCE 1995, the United Nations has celebrated this date as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

    This  year’s theme  is “Keep Cool and Carry On: The Montreal Protocol”. According to the United Nations, this theme is a motivational rallying call, urging all of us to carry on with the exemplary work of protecting the ozone layer and the climate under the Montreal Protocol. The theme has two connotations – that our work of protecting the ozone layer also protects climate and that the Montreal Protocol is a “cool” treaty, as exemplified by its outstanding success.

    The ozone layer is a fragile shield of gas that protects the Earth from harmful part of the sun rays and preserves life on the plane

    In commemorating this year’s celebration, below are facts of the ozone layer that you should know.

    • Ozone was discovered by Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1840. He named it after the Greek for ‘to smell’ which is ‘ozein’.

    • Ozone is a pungent smelling blue gas. A molecule of ozone consists of three oxygen atoms

    • The ozone is found in the Earth’s atmosphere. About 90 per cent ozone is found within 17 kilometres of Earth’s surface while the rest of the ozone is found in the stratosphere

    • The ozone depletion has led to the greenhouse effect which has resulted in global warming. The ultraviolet rays of the sun are cancerous and they can cause skin cancer.

    • Ozone absorbs most of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, which protects us and many other life forms from its potentially damaging effects.

    How to save the ozone?

    • The less carbon we use, the better it is for the Ozone layer. Carbon is found everywhere and every pollutant affects the layer in some way.
    • In order to protect the ozone, we must reduce the use of fossil fuels
    • We must reduce the energy consumption at our homes and try to conserve our resources as much as we can.

    It is also important that we protect ourselves ozone layer depletion.

    • We should avoid the use of fire extinguishers and sprays that contain chorofluorocarbon (CFC). Its depletion causes the sun’s high radiation to reach the Earth.

    • Keep clean the air conditioning and refrigerator clean and buy the ones that are CFC-free.

    • Reduce heating, air conditioning, use of cars, compressors, lawn mowers, e.t.c.

    • Avoid excessive sun exposure

  • Obaseki seeks campaign in Ozone Layer Preservation

    Obaseki seeks campaign in Ozone Layer Preservation

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has called on frontline international and domestic environmentalists, heads of states and other stakeholders in the fight for a safer environment for human habitation, business, work and leisure, to galvanise more of the global poor to join in the fight.

    Obaseki made the call on the occasion of the   International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, observed on September 16.

    According to the governor, “poor people are more in number especially in third world countries and should be galvanised to join in the global effort to preserve the ozone layer and the environment.”

    He further said that “the failure to appreciate the crucial role of the mass poor across the globe in our collective fight to save the environment, accounts for the seemingly slow pace in achieving the desired goals.”

    Obaseki explained that some of the practices popular among the mass poor of the earth, like bush burning, felling of trees are partly responsible for global warming, with strong link to the depletion of the ozone layer.

    He lamented that “several used home appliances and industrial equipment made with chemicals that destroy the ozone blanket find their way to third world countries and are used by poor people who do not have the capacity to destroy them in line with global conventions, when they are beyond repair.”

    He maintained that all hands must be on deck in the education and mobilisation of the poor people in the campaign, if measured success can be achieved.

    The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet.

    This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer), an international treaty that protects the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.

     

     

     

  • How to protect Ozone layer, by experts

    How to protect Ozone layer, by experts

    Statistics on e-waste shows that approximately 100,000 tonnes are being illegally brought into Nigeria every year through Lagos and other ports, the United Nation Industrial  Development Organiation (UNIDO) Country Director Dr David Tommy has said. Some of the wastes, he said, came from used refrigerators, computers, television sets, mobile phones and others.

    Tommy, who spoke at the just concluded National Environmental (Ozone Layer Protection) Regulations 2009 and best practice for the management of e-waste held in Lagos,  pledged UNIDO’s support for government in promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation development without compromising the environment. He said the review and amendment of the law would further chart a way for a sustainable solution to Nigeria’s environmental management problem.

    The ozone layer is a protective blanket in the stratosphere that protects humans from harmful radiations from the sun particularly the ultra violet (UV) rays which are electromagnetic radiations.

    To this end, he said, it has become pertinent for Nigeria to reflect on its laws on the disposal of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) waste in order to conform to product stewardship where the extended producer responsibility initiative is effected and manufacturers/ distributors of ODS containing equipment would initiate buy-back programmes to ensure that products are recycled and disposed satisfactorily.

    Tommy, urged the government to come out with a sound and comprehensive national e-waste management strategy to eliminate or reduce to the barest minimum, the adverse effects of e-waste to environment and socio-economic life.

    Indeed, there has been rising concern over the depletion of the  ozone layer. This has further made stakeholders to canvass for stiffer measures  against erring persons, groups or governments.

    This was the submission of several experts that spoke and made presentations in Lagos last week, at the National Environmental (Ozone Layer Protection) Regulations 2009 workshop. The two-day event, which held at the Lagos office of the British Deputy High Commission and Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, saw stakeholders canvassing an upward review of penalty to ensure strict compliance to the laws in Nigeria.

    Other stakeholders at the event include a representative of the British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Ray Kyles; Chief Executive of Hinckley Associates, Clews Arian; officials of National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), scholars, environmental experts, banks and other stakeholders.

    To achieve this, and as a way forward, it was noted that there is an urgent need for a review and amendment of the National Environmental (Ozone Layer Protection) Regulations 2009 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is because several factors such as inadequate training on identification of ODS, shortage of information from relevant stakeholders, absence of cooperatives on handlers, inadequate tools to facilitate effective training as well as monitoring and enforcement, including insufficient information on strategies for ODS destruction and inadequate compliance and monitoring. These have been known to constitute hinderances to effective control of ODS.

    In his presentation at the workshop, the Director-General of NESREA, Dr. Lawrence Anukam, listed standard qualities for ODS destruction as best practice for safe disposal and destruction schedule, specific roles for each of chemical, best practices in emission control, guidelines for extended produces responsibility programmes, alternative to ODS and upward review for penalty to ensure compliance as best ways forward for environmental management in the country.

    An environment expert with UNIDO Regional Office, Mr. Oluyomi Banjo, speaking on “Green Industry: Demonstration Project for Disposal of Unwanted Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) in Nigeria,” said its objective was to set up a financially self-sustaining scheme that would contribute to reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. The scheme, he further explained, centres on the replacement of old units with energy-efficient appliances, pointing out that new appliances were sold to consumers at discounted rate. Model for appliance replacement scheme, he said, included sale of scrap metals and plastics from dismantled fridges.

    Sharing his experience on “Nigeria ODS Destruction Pilot Project: Collection and Aggregation of ODS(CFC-12),”  the Managing Director, Beautaug-Thermo Limited, Augustine Atasie, said his team did not find chlorofluorocarbons (CFC- 12) in the oil industries as specified in the initial survey report. According to him, those who agreed to speak to the team denied the existence of  CFC-12 in their facilities, while some said their organisations had decommissioned their old equipment.

    A presenter with Voice of Nigeria (VON), Ms. Nkechinyere Itodo, in her presentation on:”The Role of Media in Ozone Layer Protection and Environmental Protection,” listed wrong content alignment in news, poor capacity of media practitioners and organisational issues as some of the challenges weighing down mass media reportage of environmental matters in the country.

    She urged government to champion environment programmes and projects, including funding of media’s participation in environmental conferences to boost media capacity. She tasked journalists to always highlight environment-related matters as developmental issues in their reporting and analysis.

    But there have been some giant strides by the UNIDO in this regard.  Tommy said UNIDO, as an implementing agency for the Montreal Protocol of 1992, had implemented over 1, 200 projects in the country, assisting more than 98 countries to phase out more than 70,287 ODS tonnes for world’s total consumption of ozone depleting substances.

    He added that UNIDO had worked with Nigeria in successfully achieving the ban on importation and production of chlorofluorocarbons. Presently, he said UNIDO was working with the country in the identification, aggregation and disposal of CFCs, review and updating legislations on ODS and technological application of methyl formate as an alternative to HCFCs.

    “Training of air-conditioners and refrigeration practitioners and installation of 30 clean and up-to-date low pressure foam machines worth about $1million have just been completed. We also distributed an additional 45 machines across the country,” he said.

    He noted that the machines, if well utilised, would maximise productive time, ensure the use of cleaner and safer alternatives to chemicals with high ODPs, increase production and improve product quality.

    The implementation demonstration project for the disposal of ODS had commenced in November 2013 after the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol had approved some funding for the country with the objective of aggregating and disposing 84 metric tonnes of CFC  -12 already identified with oil companies and chillers.

  • Ozone layer: Fed Govt donates N220m equipment

    Ozone layer: Fed Govt donates N220m equipment

    The Federal Government, in its bid to promote the campaign for the protection of the ozone layer, through the Ministry of the Environment, has donated 16 units of low pressure foam machines worth N220 million to the Nigeria Association of Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Practitioners (NARAP), Oyo State chapter.

    The machines were donated to the beneficiaries, who were part of the 109 ice machine makers identified in a nationwide survey in 2009 during the project preparation for the HydroChloroFluoroCarbon (HCFC) phase out Management Plan (HPMP), under the Vienna convention for the protection of the ozone layer.

    Speaking at the event, the Minister for the Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Mallam, said the machines would enable the beneficiaries change from their practice of using the chemical 1,1-dichloro -1-fluoro-ethane (HCFC 141B), which is an ozone depleting substance, to Methyl formate, which is not only ozone friendly but has a low Global Warming Potential (GWP).