Fiji leads as islands launch actions to save ozone layer

SUVA, Fiji (PINA Nius) — Fiji has become the first country in the Pacific Islands to launch serious actions to protect the stratospheric Ozone Layer.

At a training session at Nasinu, near Suva, for 30 refrigeration technicians, the government launched an islands-wide training program to reduce the emission of life threatening ozone-depleting substances.

Fiji has committed itself to phase-out such chemicals well ahead of the phase-out schedule of 2010 set by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, probably by the end of 2002.

The “Train the Trainers” session was organized by the Ozone Action Programme of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in co-operation with the Fiji Government.

The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air-conditioning and Heat (AIRAH) conducted the training at the Fiji National Training Council. The training provided participants with the necessary skills to use good practices during servicing.

During the opening address, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Local Government, Housing and Environment, Rishi Ram, stressed “the importance of close cooperation between the countries in the region in areas such as training of technicians and sharing experiences on project implementation activities.”

He also acknowledged the importance of achieving synergies with other environmental conventions for monitoring the movement of non-environmental products.

The Department of Environment of Fiji together with these trainers will be holding more workshops to continue the training program.

The Pacific Islands countries have become a global focus for actions on the environment because of the threat to their very existence due to global warming and its impact on sea levels and climate. Though the Montreal Protocol does not aim at reducing greenhouse gases, Pacific Islands countries are demonstrating their commitment through proactive input and setting examples for the climate change convention.

Fiji’s contribution to the total assessment consumption of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) is only 13 tons (1999) as compared to about 150,000 tons consumed annually all over the world today. However, it is used for critical applications such as food preservation.

The Nasinu training session will be followed by the Regional Compliance Action Workshop on the Montreal Protocol in Samoa April 24-26, where 14 Pacific Islands countries will participate.

The regional workshop will be co-organized by South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP DTIE).

The Montreal Protocol is an international environmental agreement. It obligates the Party countries to phase out within a stipulated time schedule their use of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) that are harmful to human and animal life.