UN secretary-general calls for greater action on cooling
16th September 2019
USA: UN secretary-general António Guterres has called for all nations to develop National Cooling Action Plans to deliver efficient and sustainable cooling.
His comments come in a statement to mark International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer which commemorates the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987.
Maintaining that the Montreal Protocol has been a success because of unanimous global support, Guterres commended the 81 nations that have ratified the Kigali Amendment and encouraged all others to follow suit.
Referring to next week’s Climate Action Summit in New York, he said: “Implementation of the Kigali Amendment will be front and centre for climate action. We need all countries to develop National Cooling Action Plans to deliver efficient and sustainable cooling and bring essential life preserving services like vaccines and safe food to all people. We are calling for concrete and enhanced actions from industry. The leadership of global leading companies is essential to realise the vision into reality.
“As industry redesigns appliances to replace HFCs, it is also essential to improve their energy efficiency to further reduce their impact on the climate, Guterres added.
While focusing on tackling climate change, he also warned against neglecting the ozone layer and staying alert to the threat posed by the illegal use of ozone-depleting gases: “The recent detection of emissions of one such gas, CFC-11, reminds us that we need continued monitoring and reporting systems, and improved regulations and enforcement.”
The latest Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion completed in 2018, shows that, as a result, parts of the ozone layer have recovered at a rate of 1-3% per decade since 2000. At projected rates, Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone will heal completely by the 2030s. The Southern Hemisphere will follow in the 2050s and Polar regions by 2060. Ozone layer protection efforts have also contributed to the fight against climate change by averting an estimated 135 billion tonnes of CO2e emissions, from 1990 to 2010.
