World Ozone Day 2023:
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) recently celebrated the 29th World Ozone Day.
- World Ozone Day or International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, is observed annually on September 16.
- It is celebrated every year to spread awareness among people about the depletion of the Ozone Layer and the measures taken/ to be taken to preserve it.
- The theme for World Ozone Day 2023 is “Montreal Protocol: fixing the ozone layer and reducing climate change”.
- In 1994, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 16 September the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date of the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone layer.
- The protocol was signed on September 16, 1987, in Montreal, Canada, to address the depletion of the ozone layer.
Montreal Protocol:
- It is an international treaty that aims to phase out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances, primarily chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride, and other chemicals.
- These substances were commonly used in refrigeration, air conditioning, and aerosol propellants.
Kigali Agreement:
- It is an amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
- It was adopted on October 15, 2016, in Kigali, Rwanda, as an extension of the Montreal Protocol.
- While the original Montreal Protocol focused on phasing out ozone-depleting substances, the Kigali Amendment addresses the phase-down of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are used as replacements for those ozone-depleting substances.
