UN urges acceleration of phasing out ozone-depleting gases

(September 16, 2011) The United Nations chief is urging nations to help accelerate the phasing out of ozone-depleting substances in order to protect global climate. In a message for the International Day for Preservation of Ozone Layer marked on Friday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said that in the past 24 years since the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer momentum has strengthened to cover the phasing out of nearly 100 ozone-depleting substances. The latest adjustments were adopted in 2007 to accelerate the phasing out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons, or HCFCs which are both ozone-depleting substances and powerful greenhouse gases. The most commonly used HCFC is nearly 2,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide in adding to global warming. On the other hand, hydrofluorocarbons HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer but are highly potent greenhouse gases, and their consumption has been increasing rapidly as they are being used to replace HCFCs. Ban urged parties to the Montreal Protocol and industries to seize the opportunity provided by the HCFC phase-out to leapfrog HFCs wherever possible in order to limit global climate change and achieve sustainable development for all.