Since signing the Montreal Protocol in 1991, China has cumulatively eliminated about 280,000 tonnes of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), accounting for more than half of the reduction completed by developing countries, an official of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said.
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) jointly held a meeting on Monday in Beijing to commemorate International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, which is celebrated on 16th of September every year.
Zhao Yingmin, deputy minister of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said at the meeting that China attaches great importance to and conscientiously implements the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, and has achieved remarkable results.
The UNEP in 2017 acknowledged the efforts made by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection with an award for its policy and implementation leadership in reducing ozone-depleting substances.
Zhao noted that after joining the protocol, China established a national leading group for the protection of the ozone layer to coordinate and guide the implementation of various departments. The Chinese government has adopted a “zero tolerance” attitude toward illegal production and use of ozone-depleting substances. Thousands of companies have launched campaigns to replace ozone-depleting substances.
The ozone layer is the largest concentration of ozone in the stratosphere of the atmosphere. It is earth’s protective ceiling and most of ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by it. The extensive use of chemicals such as refrigerants, foaming agents, and propellants pose a serious threat to the protective layer.
In 1991, China joined the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which has been ratified by more than 190 countries to date. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in January announced the first definitive evidence of the success of the protocol, citing studies of the chlorine level within the Antarctic ozone hole, which decreased slowly over the last several years.