…to be completed next month
A comprehensive plan, the HCFC (hydro chlorofluorocarbons) Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP), is expected to be completed in September.
And Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud has said it must be in sync with Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). He made this observation during the opening session of a stakeholder consultation workshop at the Agriculture Ministry Board-room, yesterday, aimed at drafting the plan.
Prior to this, several other consultations were held, the most recent being a three-day activity involving the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). It focused on monitoring the imports of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and, in time, the phasing out their use altogether.
The views expressed in those consultations were considered and a draft of the HPMP was completed.
The stakeholders’ input was lauded as quintessential and the development of the HPMP is an effort to ensure that Guyana contributes to the preservation of the environment and ensure it meets the obligations of the Montreal Protocol. The Protocol targets the protection of the ozone layer.
Once completed, the plan is expected to be presented to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in an effort to secure funding for its implementation. Also, the final document, informed by national policies, is expected to be a reflection of negotiations by UNEP and the Government.
Additionally, Guyana and approximately 195 other countries ratified the Montreal Protocol.
The Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer (a protocol to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of a number of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion.
It is believed that if the international agreement is adhered to, the ozone layer is expected to recover by 2050.
This venture is supported by the Multilateral Fund. The Fund provides assistance to help developing countries phase out the use of ozone-depleting substances. The Multilateral Fund embodies the principle agreed to at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, that countries have a common but differentiated responsibility to protect and manage the global interests. The fund is replenished on a three-year basis by the donors. Pledges amount to US$ 2.1 billion over the period 1991 to 2005.
The funds are used, for example, to finance the conversion of existing manufacturing processes, train personnel, pay royalties and patent rights on new technologies, and establish national ozone offices.
The main contributors to ozone depletion are HCFCs or hydro chlorofluorocarbons and CFCs or chlorofluorocarbon.
Guyana, according to Minister Persaud, recorded zero importation of CFCs in 2008; this was one year ahead of schedule.
“The stakeholders involved should be proud of this,” he said.
However, even as the stakeholders boast success in one area, more efforts are needed to effectively address the depletion of the ozone layer.
In reducing the level of CFCs imported into the country, another substance had to be used in its place, in the interim, and that was none other that the HCFCs, which is a group of cooling agents whose organic compound contributes to ozone depletion.
HCFCs contribute to the greenhouse effect and to a lesser degree to the ozone depletion.
The Agriculture Minister maintained that the government is committed to ensuring that it meets it obligations under the Protocol.
Persaud dubbed the HPMP a practical move that enjoys the support of a cross section of stakeholders.
He added that the development of the plan emphasizes Guyana’s commitment to taking action and being serious about addressing ozone depletion and the acceleration of damage to the environment and climate change.
“We are concerned about climate change,” Persaud stressed, as he pointed out that Guyana is vulnerable to its effects, which are already being felt in terms of the unpredictability of the weather and increasing concerns of a food crisis. He reiterated that the HPMP must be in line with the LCDS, since several activities under the plan have a direct link to the Strategy.
In particular, the Agriculture Minister pointed to mechanisms to reduce energy consumption, which the LCDS targets in exploring alternative sources of energy.
Persaud said the investment into clean energy will “liberate our people” and take Guyana’s development to the next level.
He observed that it is important to align the plan with the LCDS so that Guyana’s partners can be supportive of the HPMP in a “holistic way.”
The Minister said this will go a long way in maintaining, accelerating and supporting the mitigation of climate change.
Hydrologist with the Hydro-meteorological Service, Mr. Garvin Cummings, added that as a country, Guyana has a responsibility to facilitate the HPMP’s implementation, in the context of its other moves in the climate change arena.
Cummings, who also spoke, added that the workshop aims primarily to facilitate an examination of the draft and encourage discussions to improve the document, so as to improve its quality and representativeness.
He added that much work has been done to get to this stage and pointed, in particular, to a National Survey done by National Consultant Mr. Isidro Espinosa, which constitutes the baseline of data of HCFC use in Guyana.
Survey
Espinosa said there are seven main importers of HCFC products to Guyana, in addition to other equipment importers.
The Consultant said the Split Air Condition (AC) unit is the primary equipment imported which emits the HCFCs and noted that, on average, Guyana imports close to 600 units per annum.
Espinosa said the refrigeration and AC sector is the largest where HCFCs originate and fire fighting the smallest. HCFCs are found in the chemical used by fire fighters.
He said if the conditions of the Montreal Protocol are not adhered to, the emissions of HCFCs will total 50.15 metric tonnes by 2015.
Espinosa suggested use of alternative technology, such as geo-thermal pumps, and the introduction of “green buildings” as mechanisms to deal with the phase out of HCFCs.
The Consultant acknowledged that Guyana has been using some alternative, but noted that the necessity to act has intensified when considering the impact HCFCs have, not only on the ozone layer, but also on global warming.