GUYANA has been aggressively working to meet its obligations within the context of the Montreal Protocol which deals with the phasing out Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS).

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy called for consumers to be aware of restrictions on the importation of ODS.
He said: “We need people to be aware that they should not buy certain equipment that does not meet the acceptable standards. The consequence for the individual consumer is that the equipment can be seized by our inspectors.”
Guyana’s current approach is a two-pronged one: enforcement of import restrictions by the Guyana Revenue Authority, as it relates to new air-conditioning units and other equipment that use a certain type of gas, categorized as ODS; and retrofitting of new equipment being imported.
The GRA and the Ministry’s hydromet office are working in collaboration on this matter, the Minister said.
“Right now, for the businesses we are as flexible as we can be, in that they either retrofit the equipment they imported or have the items sized and subsequently re-exported to the supplier,” Ramsammy said.
The already installed equipment, according to him, will not be subjected to retrofitting exercise as the new items imported; rather, it will be subject to the gradual phasing out process.
To facilitate this phasing out process, the Minister explained that Guyana is allocated a specific quota under the international agreement.
“Every country has a quota based on current usage and considering the life of the equipment that consumers invested in,” he said.
Ramsammy stressed the seriousness in meeting the international obligations and called for recognition of the consequences of Guyana being labelled uncompliant.

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 ODS Multilateral Fund. The Fund provides assistance to help developing countries phase out the use of ozone-depleting substances and 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 have amounted 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 the HCFCs.
Guyana and approximately 195 other countries ratified the Montreal Protocol.

(By Vanessa Narine)