[www.inewsguyana.com] – Guyana’s Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has reiterated the country’s commitment to ensuring the restoration and preservation of the Ozone Layer.
At a ceremony this morning, two days after the world celebrated International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer day on September 16, Dr. Ramsammy said Guyana is proud of its advocacy and leadership role it has taken in this regard.
This event commemorates the date of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987 to which Guyana signed onto in 1993 along with all CARICOM countries.
The Minister said there is tangible evidence to prove that the ozone layer has been restored to pre-1979 levels. “There are genuine reasons to celebrate the global action which started over 25 years ago,” Dr. Ramsammy said; adding that “that’s good news that we can reverse the damage done to the ozone layer.”
He said all countries, small and large, has a role to play and must do its parts to contribute to the preservation of the environment and a sustainable environment.
He said countries who continue to operate in a manner that poses a threat to the environment is doing a disservice to citizens of the world; exclaiming that it was recklessly to operate in unfriendly environmental practices.
Research show that the Earth’s stratospheric ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas that protects the Earth and its surface-dwelling organisms from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun, is on track to recovery from ozone depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
The UN General Assembly proclaimed Sept. 16 the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The theme of this year’s observance is Ozone Layer Protection: The Mission Goes On.
The UN’s chief hailed the success of the Montreal Protocol in countering the depletion.
“Recent scientific findings reveal the importance of the Montreal Protocol,” Secretary-General of the UN Ban Ki-moon stated in his message. “Without the protocol and associated agreements, atmospheric levels of ozone-depleting substances could have increased 10-fold by 2050. Concerted action has prevented millions of cases of skin cancer.”
While ozone high above the Earth’s surface helps protect life, ozone near the Earth’s surface is a pollutant that is harmful in many ways. It causes rubber to crack, hurts plant life and damages people’s lung tissues, according to the Goddard Space Flight Center.
