World Ozone Day highlights Montreal Protocol’s contributions

AMMAN — This year, the world community celebrated the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer under the theme “Montreal Protocol — Keeping us, our food, and vaccines cool”.

“Ozone is not just a layer. It protects humans and other beings from harmful UV radiation,” Samah Kharabsheh, a young Jordanian environmentalist, told The Jordan Times on Thursday.

Kharabsheh added that addressing ozone depletion cannot be fully achieved only by governments. People have a significant role to play; their awareness and concern for the problem will make it easier for governments to reduce Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and enforce new laws to solve ozone depletion.

The ozone layer is “a fragile shield of gas that protects the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet,” according to the UN. 

In 1987, the UN General Assembly proclaimed September 16 the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer to commemorate the date of signing the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

This day sheds light on the depletion of the ozone layer and highlights steps to protect it, according to the UN website.

This year’s World Ozone Day highlights that “the Montreal Protocol does so much more – such as slowing climate change and helping to boost energy efficiency in the cooling sector, which contributes to food security”, according to the UN website.

Jordan has been a party of the Montreal Protocol since it became effective, according to the Ministry of Environment.

“By acting together, anything is possible. So let us act now to slow climate change, feed the world’s hungry and protect the planet that we all depend on,” UN Secretary General António Guterres said in his message on the occasion.