Pakistan is Eliminating Emissions That Hurt the Ozone Layer

Pakistan will continue to support global efforts and contribute to protect human health and environment by completely phasing out the use of Ozone-layer-depleting substances (ODSs) in the country and replacing them with more effective and environmentally safer alternatives, in line with the Montreal Protocol.

An official from the Ministry of Climate Change said,

The country has been at the forefront in its endeavours to phase out use of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs) because ridding the world of 13 different ozone-depleting substances (ODSs), including hydro-chloro-fluoro-carbons (HCFC) and chloro-fluoro-carbons (CFC), is critical to protecting the ozone layer, which protects all life on earth from adverse fallouts of the ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and its spill-over effect on environment.

He said that after successfully phasing out the first generation of ODSs in Pakistan, as part of the global efforts to mitigate climate change, the country is now in the process of phasing out HCFCs altogether.

In Phase-I of the Hydrofluorocarbons Phase-Out Management Plan (HPMP), we have almost phased out HCFCs from our foam industry. In fact we have phased out 80 tons of Ozone depletion potential (ODP) of HCFC-141b and replaced it with cyclopentane, which is a climate and environmentally-friendly alternative to HCFCs.

The official added that the second phase of the HPMP is ready to launch and they’re hoping to expedite this phase through multilateral funding opportunities and partner implementing agencies, through the help of all stakeholders.

He said that although Pakistan does not manufacture any of the Ozone Depleting Substances, the country has a strict regulatory regime to check imports of these substances, with a system of licensing and quotas for import of HCFCs in place.