Dominica joined other countries of the world to celebrate the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer which holds annually on September 16. The theme for this year’s commemoration is “Ozone for Life” and the public awareness was led by Hon. Cozier Frederick, Minister for Environment, Rural Modernization and Kalinago Upliftment.
According to the minister, Dominica was part of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer of 1987 and the Montreal Protocol on the Depletion of the Ozone Layer of 1987. He said Dominica ratified the Vienna Convention in March 1993 and the Montreal Protocol in June 1993, sealing the participatory response of the Dominican government to reduce ozone-depleting substances.
However, the United Nations General Assembly in December 1994 declared September 16 of every year as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, Hon. Frederick.
The honourable minister said the annual commemoration of the World Ozone Day is now 35 years, and that Dominica must swing into action to strengthen climate preservation by implementing a robust and sustainable way of reducing ozone-depleting substances. He identified hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) as part of the harmful gases that must be reduced to protect the ozone layer.
“This commemoration offers an opportunity to re-focus attention and action at national, regional and global levels, on the protection of the ozone layer, to create awareness on, and to adopt environmentally friendly techniques to reduce the use of ozone-depleting substances,” Hon. Cozier Frederick said. “This year, we celebrate thirty-five years of global ozone layer protection. The theme, “Ozone for life”, reminds us that ozone is crucial for our life on Earth and we must continue to protect the ozone layer.”
The minister also warned that the raging COVID-19 pandemic may tempt governments around the world to push climate change and ozone-depleting concerns to the back burner, but that everyone must rise up to give global warming the attention it deserves and cooperate to protect our world from harmful sun rays.
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