HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has totally eliminated the use of chloroflourocarbons (CFC) and fulfilled its international obligations under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer over the past 24 years.

Lê Công Thành, deputy minister of Natural Resources and Environment, made the statement at a conference held today to mark the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on September 16.

The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.

Thành said that Việt Nam officially signed the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in January 1994.

Việt Nam has contributed to the success of the initiatives by having reduced the consumption of ozone depleting substances by 800 tonnes to date, he said.

However, according to Thành, in order to safeguard this success, the country must continue to adhere to the provisions of the protocol.

“Further scientific investigations are needed to establish a clear picture of the quantities and sources of those emissions as well as possible scientific explanations,” he said.

All our projections of the future benefits and continued success of the Montreal Protocol are premised on the adherence to its provisions.

“We need collectively to take robust decisions, find and abate the source of the emissions,” said Thành.

Tina Birmpili, executive secretary of the United Nations’ Ozone Secretariat, said that thanks to the commitment of the parties to the Montreal Protocol, including Việt Nam, many ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere have been phased out and scientific projections show that the ozone layer would return to its 1980 levels by around 2060.

Up to two million cases of skin cancer may be prevented each year by 2030, she said.

Global health and economic benefits worth more than US$2.2 trillion are expected by 2060 due to avoided damages to health, agriculture, fisheries and materials, she said.

“On September 16, at this year’s International Ozone Day, we are urging everyone to keep cool and carry on by celebrating our work so far,” said Tina.

“There is no better way to celebrate the anniversary of the International Ozone Day than by seeking countries’ support to build on the next 30 years of the Protocol’s life,” she said. — VNS