opinion

September 16 is the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed on September 16 1987 in Montreal, Canada, with representatives of 46 countries and the then European Community (EC) in attendance.

The main content of the Montreal Protocol is to phase down the production, development and use of chemicals including Freon gas, the main contributor to the depletion of the ozone layer.

The ozone layer plays a role of protecting life on the earth from ultraviolet radiation.

However, the ozone layer, which is very beneficial to human life and the ecological environment of the earth, is being seriously destroyed for several reasons.

Observation results say that the ozone layer over the Antarctic and Arctic has severely been damaged, arousing concern of the international community.  The World Meteorological Organization has already noted that the Arctic stratosphere is still easily affected by the ozone-depleting substances produced by human activities and the observed depletion of the ozone layer demands mankind raise public awareness about it.

The depletion of the ozone layer exacerbates the greenhouse effect and it makes a negative impact on natural environment and human life. Temperature rise causes the spread of various kinds of epidemics and destroys biodiversity.

Such a situation requires the international community to pay closer attention to the protection of the ozone layer.

Therefore, the UN Environment Programme has selected the theme for this year’s World Ozone Day as “Montreal Protocol: Advancing Climate Action”.

This aim of this year’s World Ozone Day is to raise awareness of how far the Montreal Protocol has progressed from ozone layer protection to also become a recognized powerful climate action tool, the Kigali (the capital of Rwanda) Amendment, through several stages of amendments, over the past 37 years since the adoption of the Montreal Protocol.

As temperature records keep getting broken, the planet continues to heat up, and the demand for cooling is increasing fast. As the world looks for ways to mitigate climate warming, the potential of the Montreal Protocol should not be underestimated. Its Kigali Amendment is a significant climate action tool and could avoid as much as 1°C of warming by the end of the century if it is universally ratified, fully implemented and includes energy efficiency measures.

The DPRK has also taken various measures to protect the ozone layer.

Protecting the ozone layer is an important undertaking for the existence and future of mankind, and only when all countries and regions work hard with a common sense of responsibility, can they achieve better results in their effort to this end.