…on International Day For The Preservation of the Ozone Layer

MORE than two decades ago the world was rudely awakened to the discovery of the great hole over the Antarctica caused by chloroflourobcarbons (CFCs). Even more surprising was that these “CFCs” were found in our hairsprays, and our refrigerators and our pesticides. However September 16, 1987 marked the achievement of one of the most momentous agreements in the struggle against Climate Change. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone Layer was finally agreed upon at the Headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in Montreal. Guyana is within the List of Parties in this agreement.
The protocol was designed to reduce the production and utilisation of ozone depleting substances (ODS) in order to protect the earth’s fragile ozone layer. The protocol came into force on January 1, 1989, but the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is celebrated annually on September 16. This year’s theme is “Ozone Layer Protection: The Mission Goes On.”
Dubbed “The world’s most successful environmental agreement,” the Montreal Protocol sparked a frenzy in phasing out and the reduction of producing ozone-harmful substances.