1- Maximizing the Climate-Combating Benefits of the Ozone Layer Treaty Key Outcome of
Qatar-Hosted Meeting
Nations Also Agree to Replenish the Multi-Million Dollar Fund Assisting Developing Countries to continue the phase out of ozone depleting substances.
8th Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and 20th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

Doha/Nairobi, 21 November 2008 - Treaties combating ozone layer damage and climate change can learn from each other in order to maximize economic and environmental benefits.

The conclusion reflects growing understanding that the phase-out of chemicals that damage the ozone layer - the Earth’s protective shield - also has implications for the fight against global warming.

The governments, meeting in Doha the capital city of Qatar , have requested the Executive Secretary of the Montreal Protocol ozone agreement to coordinate amongst others with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to explore closer, cooperative ties.

They are requesting that the two treaties to hold meetings and explore several areas of cooperation including on how best to reduce releases of substances known as hydroflurocarbons (HFCs).

HFCs, along with pollutants such as C02 and methane, are one of the six gases controlled under the climate convention’s Kyoto Protocol.

In addition, governments are suggesting that mutual benefits can also come from an accelerated freeze and phase-out of hydrochluroflurocarbons (HCFCs).

HCFCs are chemicals that were introduced to replace older, more ozone-damaging gases in products such as refrigerators and air conditioning units.

But these replacement chemicals are now also scheduled for replacement and governments are keen to ensure that the new chemicals developed not only are ozone-friendly, but climate-friendly too.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme which hosts the Ozone Secretariat, said: ”In a world of scarce financial resources, maximizing the impacts of the various multi-lateral environmental agreements is paramount. Governments have made it clear that there can be multiple benefits if the experiences of the Montreal Protocol and the UN climate change convention can be better shared to reinforce mutual aims. UNEP looks forward to exploring how best these recommendations can be taken forward”.

Maximizing benefits among environmental treaties was among the outcomes of the 8th Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and the 20th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol that concluded late last week in Doha .

Linked to the Montreal Protocol is a multilateral fund that assists developing countries to phase-out ozone damaging chemicals.

Governments meeting in Doha agreed to replenish the fund by over $490 million for the period 2009 to 2001.

How best to destroy ozone and climate-damaging chemicals, stored in old equipment such as air conditioning units and foams, was also part of the talks.

Countries also urged the ozone treaty to work with funding organizations such as the Global Environment Facility to assess the most cost effective and rapid route to ridding the world of these stockpiled or ‘banked’ susbatnces.

During the meeting various important announcements were made (see unep.org media centre) including the plan ro establish an ozone and climate monitoring station in Qatar - the first in West Asia and a move by the military from Australia, the Netherlands and the United States to assist developing countries with the destruction of banked ozone depleting substances.

Notes to Editors Documents related to the meeting can be found at http://www.ozone.unep.org
For More Information Please Contact
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson/Head of Media, nick.nuttall@unep.org
Maria Soldanha, Communications and Information Officer, maria.soldanha@unep.org
Source: UNEP,
http://unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=550&ArticleID=5997&l=en

2- Paper to be in 'Short Supply' at International Ozone Gathering
Qatar and UN Pave Way for Environmentally-Friendly, Paper-Free Events
20th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol and
8th Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention
Doha/Nairobi, 16 November 2008 - Paper-free or near paperless conferences may soon be in sight under a pioneering initiative by the Government of Qatar and the UN Environment Programme(UNEP), it was announced today.
Delegates attending an international conference on the protection of the ozone layer are being issued with laptops and given lessons on how to minimize paper in terms of documents, reports and publications.
Special software is being utilized which will allow delegates to share and amend papers during the six day meeting taking place in the Qatari capital Doha.
The initiative is also expected to save greenhouse gas emissions linked with the shipment of conference documents and publications to and from meetings.

Key Issues at the Conference

The pilot comes as delegates from over 150 countries are meeting under the Montreal Protocol and Vienna Convention on substances that deplete the ozone layer.

Issues before delegates include destruction of ozone damaging substances held in items such as fridges, fire-fighting equipment and foams.

Many of these banked ozone-damaging chemicals have climate change impacts too. Large amount could, without action, be released as early as 2015.

This could lead to the equivalent of several billion tonnes of C02 being pumped into the atmosphere.

Countries will also discuss the sixth replenishment of the Multilateral Fund- which has so far spent over $2 billion on assisting developing countries to phase out ozone-killing chemicals and switch to less harmful ones.

Countries are likely to discuss a range of replenishment figures from around $338 million to close to $630 million to cover the coming years including the costs of accelerating the freeze and phase-out of HCFCs-chemicals that can damage the ozone layer but are now also known to contribute to global warming too.

A significant agreement to the accelerated freeze and phase-out was made at the last meeting off the Montreal Protocol held in the Canadian city from where the treaty takes its name.

Countries will again be seeking exemptions for a chemical known as methyl bromide used for fumigating soils against crop-damaging pests. However, the quantities of exemptions being sought are down by around 70 per cent from a few years ago.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "The Montreal Protocol and the Vienna Convention are among the outstanding examples of international cooperation on the environment. They have lead to a dramatic reduction in the production and consumption of chemicals that deplete the ozone layer-that thin layer of high flying gas that protects all life on Earth from deadly levels of ultra violet rays".
"This week in Doha governments need to keep that momentum up including the necessary levels of funding needed to complete this important work including the challenge but also the opportunity presented for both ozone and climate from the accelerated freeze and phase-out of HCFCs," he said.

Mr Steiner said the paperless conference concept would be another welcome and practical outcome of the meeting.
"Tens of millions of tones of C02, the principle greenhouse gas, are released as a result of the manufacture, printing and shipping of paper in the form of documents, publications and books. The UN and its numerous meetings are no exception," he said.
"I would like to thank the Government of Qatar for backing this inspiring idea and look forward to taking the concept forward-if we are successful it could become a blue print across the UN and who knows, perhaps one day we could witness a near paperless or paper-free General Assembly in New York," said Mr Steiner.

Waleed Al-Emadi, a senior ozone expert at the Qatar Ministry of the Environment, said: "In the United States alone there have been estimates that a 10 per cent reduction in the use of paper in offices could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1.6 billion tones".
"Less printing also means less ink, less use of heavy metals such as cadmium and less use of electricity. Imagine the environmental improvements around the world if paperless or near paper less meetings and conferences can be part of daily life."

Paper-free UNEP Governing Council
The pilot is expected to lead to an even bigger trial when the world's environment ministers meet in Nairobi, Kenya in February next year at the headquarters of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The Qatar Ministry of the Environment is planning to donate a large quantity of laptops complete with the special software while dispatching IT experts to make UNEP's Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum as paper-free as possible.
Many delegates attending conferences also bring and return home with large quantities of books and reports.
A study by UNEP on climate neutrality, released in June this year to mark World Environment Day 2008, estimated that if every air passenger reduced their luggage and carry on items by 20 Kg it could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by two million tones a year.
UNEP's exhibition in Doha will also be paperless and sport the banner 'Are You looking for a UNEP Publication? We Left it At Home!'.
In order to get delegates on the paperless path, UNEP will be handing out memory sticks and guides on how to download publications while outlining the greenhouse gas emissions saved by not carting loads of documents back home.

Notes to Editors
The 20th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol [took] place at the Sheraton Doha Conference and Convention Centre. Documents can be accessed at http://www.ozone.unep.org
For More Information Please Contact
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson/Head of Media, nick.nuttall@unep.org
Maria Soldanha, Communications and Information Officer, maria.soldanha@unep.org

3- Summary of the 20th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol and 8th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention, 16-20 NOVEMBER 2008
The eighth Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the twentieth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocolon Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (COP-8/MOP-20) took place in Doha, Qatar, from 16-20 November 2008. The joint meeting was attended by over 500 participants representing governments, UN agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academia, industry and the agricultural sector.

COP-8/MOP-20 opened with a preparatory segment from Sunday to Tuesday, 16-18 November, that addressed the COP/MOP’s substantive agenda items and related draft decisions. This was followed by a high-level segment, which convened from Wednesday to Thursday, 19-20 November, and adopted the decisions forwarded to it by the preparatory segment. As the preparatory segment did not conclude its work on a number of contentious issues by Tuesday, it reconvened several times during the high-level segment to address outstanding issues, including replenishment of the Multilateral Fund, destruction of ozone depleting substances (ODS), and essential uses of metered dose inhalers.

COP-8/MOP-20 adopted a Doha Declaration and 29 decisions, including: replenishment of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol; ratification; compliance; methyl bromide; destruction of ODS; essential- and critical-use exemptions; process agents; and financial and administrative matters. Despite an extensive agenda, the hard work of delegates in plenary, contact groups and informal bilateral discussions, led to the resolution of all items, and enabled the meeting to conclude, as scheduled, on Thursday evening.
Daily coverage available from the IISD Reporting Service
http://www.iisd.ca/ozone/mop20/18Nov.html

4- Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels Reach New Highs - WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin 2007
GENEVA, 25 NOVEMBER 2008 (WMO) – Levels of climate-warming greenhouse gases continue to increase in the atmosphere. In 2007, global concentrations of carbon dioxide again reached the highest levels ever recorded. These latest numbers, published today in the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) 2007 Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, continue the trend of rising emissions of greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution.

Greenhouse gases trap radiation within the Earth’s atmosphere causing it to warm. Human activities, such as fossil fuel burning and agriculture, are major emitters of the gases, which scientists widely recognize as drivers of global warming and climate change. After water vapour, the four most prevalent greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and chloro fluoro carbons. The WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) coordinates the measurement of these gases in the atmosphere through a network of observatories located in more than 65 countries.

The latest numbers show that carbon dioxide reached 383.1 parts per million (ppm), an increase of 0.5 percent from 2006. Concentrations of nitrous oxide also reached record highs in 2007, up 0.25 per cent from the year before, while methane increased 0.34 per cent, exceeding the highest value so far, which was recorded in 2003. Using the NOAA Annual greenhouse gas index, the total warming effect of all long-lived greenhouse gases was calculated to have increased by 1.06 per cent from the previous year and by 24.2 per cent since 1990. In the meanwhile, levels of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) continue to slowly decrease, a result of emission reductions under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Since the mid-18th Century, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have risen an unfettered 37 per cent. Population growth and urban development worldwide continue to increase the use of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas, which emit carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere. At the same time, the clearing of land for agriculture, including deforestation, is releasing carbon dioxide into the air and reducing carbon uptake by the biosphere.

While the atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and N2O are increasing steadily, the growth rate of methane concentrations has slowed over the past decade with some variations from one year to the next. The 6 ppb rise from 2006 to 2007 is the highest annual methane increase observed since 1998. . It is still too early to state with certainty, however, that this latest increase is the start of a new upward trend in methane levels. Human activities, such as fossil fuel exploitation, rice agriculture, biomass burning, landfills and ruminant farm animals, account for some 60 per cent of atmospheric methane, with natural sources, for example wetlands and termites, responsible for the remaining 40 per cent.

The continued success of the Montreal Protocol to reduce emissions of ozone-depleting substances is evident in the decline in CFC concentrations. By 2010, the Montreal Protocol, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2007, will have reduced greenhouse gas warming by a factor of five greater than the reduction target of the first commitment period (2008-2012) of the Kyoto Protocol.

This year’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin is the fourth in the series, the three previous ones providing results for 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively. The Bulletins provide critical information on the global state of the atmosphere in a concise manner and highlight recent accomplishments of research and technology application.

WMO prepares and distributes the annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletins in cooperation with the GAW Scientific Advisory Group for Greenhouse Gases, with the assistance of the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory and WMO’s World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG). The measurement data are archived and distributed by the WDCGG, hosted by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The 2007 Bulletin, as well as earlier issues, are available through the WMO GAW Programme Web page at http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/gaw/gaw_home_en.html
For more information please contact:
at NOAA: Ed Dlugokencky, ed.dlugokencky@noaa.gov or
James H. Butler, James.H.Butler@noaa.gov
at JMA: Mr. Kazuto Suda, suda@met.kishou.go.jp
WMO is the United Nations' authoritative voice on weather, climate and water
For more information please contact:
Ms Carine Richard-Van Maele, Chief, Communications and Public Affairs, WMO cpa@wmo.int
Ms Gaëlle Sévenier, Press Officer, Tel. +41 (0) 22 730 8417.

5- Military Enlisted to Combat Climate Change and Ozone Layer Damage

Doha, 20 November 2008 - The military is being deployed to help save the ozone layer and to fight global warming under a unique partnership between the United Nations, national governments and several armed forces it was announced today.

Military personnel from Australia, the Netherlands and the United States are offering to assist countries in the safe collection of stockpiles and banks of unwanted, ozone-damaging substances.

The military experts will also give support and advice on the shipping, labeling and other logistical procedures needed to 'fast-track' the chemicals to disposal centers in various parts of the globe.

The 'partnership' could dramatically cut the costs of the disposal of chemicals such as Hydrofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) to a third or less of the current market cost.

Many armed forces have existing, competitively priced contracts already in place for destroying ozone-damaging chemicals found as gases and foams in old military air-conditioning units and other kinds of army, navy and air force equipment.

It is hoped that by joining forces, civilian destruction programmes will be able to benefit from these low cost contracts making them cheaper and more attractive to undertake.

News of the initiative comes as over 150 are meeting in Doha, Qatar for the 8th Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and 20th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer.

Well over 90 per cent of chemicals that damage the ozone layer - the thin, high flying layer of gas that filters out the sun's harmful rays - have been phased-out.

But this means that significant quantities are stockpiled in old equipment and banked in existing devices which will soon come to the end of their life.

The conference is Doha has been told that releases from these sources could add to both ozone depletion and climate change because many of these substances are also potent greenhouse gases.

Without action to safely remove and destroy these chemicals experts fear that by 2015 releases equivalent to several billion tones of C02 could occur.

Marco Gonzalez, Executive Secretary of the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Ozone Secretariat, said:" The military in many countries have been at the forefront of efforts to phase-out ozone depleting substances - their experience can be invaluable for developing countries facing similar challenges".

The new initiative, which will make use of technical experts in the military already on the ground, brings together a wide range of organizations and countries and is being spearheaded by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Defence.

Notes to Editors

Partnership Overview
This partnership has a two pronged "Start and Strengthen" approach to support collection and destruction: 1) Sharing of information and 2) Consulting on logistics.

Better Treaty Coordination. The UNEP Ozone Secretariat has agreed to act as coordinator with the Basel Convention Secretariat and other conventions to ensure the transport of unwanted ozone depleting substances to countries with destruction facilities is correctly permitted. This activity itself will be helpful because it will streamline the desirable shipments of chemicals to proper destruction facilities.

Public Relations. Local military authorities will have the desirable experience of working with local environmental authorities, helping with state and community relations on other environmental issues faced at overseas bases.

More Efficient and Cost-Effective Waste Management. The partnership will coordinate an international "clearinghouse" to match supply with demand by connecting countries requiring ODS destruction to those having proper destruction facilities available. They will make every effort to minimize transport distances and maximize effectiveness. By having a global clearinghouse, small quantities can be aggregated for maximum destruction cost-effectiveness.

Partners
Argentina Ministry of the Environment
Australia Department of Defence
Australia Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Federated States of Micronesia Ministry of Environment
Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD)
International Network for Environmental Compliance & Enforcement (INECE)
Mauritius Ministry of Environment
Netherlands Halon Bank Association
Netherlands Ministry of Defence
United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
United States Department of Defense
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Quotes by Some of the Partners

"The military's leadership shown by these partners will earn the praise of environmentalists and compliance officials from around the world," said Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD), and Director of the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE), a network of 4,000 environmental authorities in more than 150 countries. "Protecting the earth against climate change is an environmental security campaign that we all support."

"Argentina is proud to be one of the leaders promoting the climate benefits of the Montreal Protocol, and we welcome the opportunity to work with the technical logistics experts from the militaries of the world to continue these efforts to realize benefits for both the climate system and the ozone layer," said Romina Picolotti, Secretary of Environment for Argentina. "Our goal is to be first to benefit from this assistance to achieve the highest possible ozone and climate benefits at affordable cost. Once again, Argentina wants to continue demonstrating through our actions that developing countries are willing to take on their fair share of climate responsibility when technology and financing are available."

"The United States is committed to actions under the Montreal Protocol for the benefit of the global climate system and fragile ozone layer," said James L. Connaughton, Chairman, US Council on Environmental Quality. "Experts who responsibly manage military ozone-depleting substances can transfer that know-how throughout the world to recover and destroy a significant portion of unwanted or unusable ozone-depleting substances."

Island nations are among the most vulnerable to climate change," said Sateeaved Seebaluck, Permanent Secretary, Mauritius Ministry of Environment. "We must do everything possible within as well as outside the scope of the climate treaties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as fast as we can to avoid passing the tipping points for abrupt climate changes, including sea-level rise that threatens Mauritius and all other island and coastal nations. That's why Mauritius and Micronesia have proposed incentives for collection and destruction and why we welcome this partnership."

"It is an honor for military logistics experts to use their considerable talent and experience to help the world protect the stratospheric ozone and climate," said Robert S. Thien, US DoD ODS Program Manager. "I am confident that the United States Department of Defense and our partners can provide guidance to developing nations concerning collecting, storing/banking and someday destroying CFCs, HCFCs and other ozone-depleting substances that also threaten climate."

"The Netherlands is proud of our national leadership in combined ODS banking for both industry and the military and pleased to share everything we know that can protect the global environment," said Anton Janssen, Head, Knowledge Centre for Occupational Safety and Health and Environment, Netherlands Ministry of Defence." "Technical cooperation on ODS application and replacement avoids costly duplication of effort and builds trust and networks so experts can work together for the good of human society."

"For more than a decade, experts in our Defense Logistics Agency have worked hard to perfect every detail of ODS bank management," said Kristen N. Taddonio, Manager of Strategic Climate Projects, EPA Climate Protection Partnerships Division. "Military organizations know everything about putting ODS in secure long-term storage, moving ODSs to destruction facilities, and moving mobile destruction facilities to ODS."

"Military organizations have protected the ozone layer through leadership, policy, procurement, and management," said K. Madhava Sarma, Senior Expert Member, Montreal Protocol Technology and Economics Panel. He added, "With military leadership and technical expertise on ODS collection and destruction, the world is sure to succeed in preventing harmful emissions from the ODS banks."
Source: UNEP Ozone Secretariat,
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=550&ArticleID=5993&l=en

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FEATURED
During the course of the 20th Meeting of the Parties, UNEP DTIE's OzonAction Branch organised several side events as described below.

UNEP DTIE 's OzonAction Launches "The Montreal Protocol Who's Who”
At the opening of the 20th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, Doha, Qatar, UNEP DTIE 's OzonAction unveiled “The Montreal Protocol Who’s Who’’ (MP Who's Who) a new web portal intended to honor the visionaries, innovators and implementers who are making the Montreal Protocol a global environmental success story. Read more >>>
Watch the MP Who's Who introductory video >>>
Acess the MP Who's Who, learn more about the
"ozone champions" through the pages of the Montreal Protocol Who's Who. You have a unique
opportunity to nominate ozone protection champions from your country or region. >>>

Linking HCFC Phase-out to the Climate Agenda in African Countries
UNEP and the World Bank are proposing an initiative that would focus on several countries in Africa to demonstrate the feasibility of a comprehensive program that reduces both consumption of HCFC s as refrigenrant and emissions of carbon dioxide from the improvment of energy efficiency in the refrigeration and air-conditioning (AC) sector through the support of multiple resources. This proposal will be put forward to African countries at a regional workshop in early 2009 that brings together not only national ozone units, but for the first time, country focal points for climate change. The workshops held on 19 November in Doha, Qatar, allowed countries to discuss possibilities for synergies, gauge the feasibility of the approach, and determine steps forward as well as the roles of UNEP and the World Bank in supporting countries in this endeavor.
Contact: UNEP DTIE OzonAction, Rajendra Shende, rajendra.shende@unep.fr
UNEP CAP ROA, Jeremy Bazye, jeremy.bazye@unep.org
The World Bank, Steve Gorman, sgorman@worldbank.org

Pilot Workshop for Teachers and Students in Qatar
The Government of Qatar and the OzonAction Programme organised for the first time an innovative, pilot workshop for secondary school teachers and students based on the new education pack. The workshop was attended by the following schools: Global Academy, Al Khor International School and Royal International School. The Qatar National Committee was also present. In the end of the workshop, the students received Ozzy Ozone cartoon books and videos and teachers were encouraged to use the Secondary School Education Pack in their activities. UNEP together with UNESCO will conduct similar workshops in all West Asian countries.

UNEP Exhibition is “Paperless”
In support of the initiative of the Government of Qatar, UNEP OzonAction was inspired to make contribution in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing solid waste. This year's UNEP exhibition is “paperless”. Instead of giving the delegates to the MOP-20 printed copies, they were offered electronic versions on a USB key. By not shipping UNEP OzonAction documents to this meeting, more than 2.5 tons of C02 emissions were avoided.

Ozone Protection, Climate Change and Energy Efficiency: Montreal – Kyoto
"Industria & Formazione" the second special international issue featuring articles written by internationally-renown experts in industry, government, and research institutes, focuses on alternatives to HCFCs, including both natural and fluorinated refrigerants. This magazine, was launched at the 20th Meeting of the Parties in Doha, was produced by the Centro Studi Galileo in cooperation with UNEP's OzonAction Programme, the International Institute of Refrigeration, and the Associazione dei Tecnici del Freddo, under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of the Environment.
Read/Download the PDF >>>

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

15 October 2008

EUROPE
8- Environment Criminals Build $10bn Empire on Ivory, Timber and Skins
Source: The Guardian, 13 October 2008, By: Robert Booth,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/13/2
Click here to read/download related EIA report

9- Belgian Chocolate Maker Leonidas Successfully Uses Forane® 427A in Refrigeration Equipment at one of its Plants
Source: ARKEMA, Press Release, 28 August 2008

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>> FEATURED Reading >>
>>> The World Meteorological Organisation, Antarctic Ozone Bulletin, No. 2/2008
Read/Download PDF >>> http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/documents/ant-bulletin-2-2008.pdf
Source: The World Meteorological Organisation, http://www.wmo.int/pages/index_en.html

>>> Yemen's efforts to protect the ozone layer, Yemen Times, 29 September 2008, Interview of Mr. Faisal Ahmed Nasser, Yemen's National Ozone Officer, http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1194&p=health&a=1

>>> A Guidebook to Customs Officers and Inspectors in the Nordic Countries, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and initiated by the Nordic Ozone Group, a cooperation between the officers in charge of ODS controls at the controls at the environmental protection agencies in five Nordic countries. This guidebook is written for environment protection inspectors and customs officers in the Nordic countries to highlight the importance of controlling importation and sale of products that contain ozone depleting substances. It describes the international restrictions as well as the EU and national regulations on this subject and gives some indications on how to plan control priorities and strategies. Read/download >>>
http://www.norden.org/pub/sk/showpub.asp?pubnr=2008:701

>>> Information reported by the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances (paragraph 7 of decision XIV/7) - UNEP/OzL.Pro.20/INF/3-(E)

>>> TEAP - Supplement to the May 2008 TEAP Replenishment Report - Final Version

>>> 20MOP/8COP: Annotated provisional agenda of the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and the Twentieth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol - UNEP/OzL.Conv.8/1/Add.1 - UNEP/OzL.Pro.20/1/Add.1-
(A) (C) (E) (F) (R) (S)

>>> 8COP: Report of the seventh meeting of the Ozone Research Managers of the Parties to the Vienna Convention - UNEP/OzL.Conv.8/INF/1-(E)

>>> 8COP: Report by the Ozone Secretariat on the General Trust Fund for Financing Activities on Research and Systematic Observations relevant to the Vienna Convention and institutional arrangements in accordance with decision VI/2 of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention - UNEP/OzL.Conv.8/5-(A) (C) (E) (F) (R) (S)

>>>TEAP Final Report: Evaluations of 2008 Critical Use Nominations for Methyl Bromide and Related Matters - October 2008
- Advance Copy Version 2

 

30 September 2008

Congratulations to TEAP Co-Chair Dr. Stephen O. Andersen,who was awarded the prestigious 2008 Service to America Career Achievement Medal on September 16 for helping organize and strengthen the Montreal Protocol signed on that day 21 years earlier. The award recognizes Dr. Andersen's contributions from his first climate and ozone assessment in 1974 (impacts of super-sonic transport on agriculture) to his 2007 collaboration with scientists showing how the Montreal Protocol has and can protect Earth's climate. >>> http://servicetoamericamedals.org/SAM/recipients/profiles/cam08_andersen.shtml

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In this issue:
1- Antarctic Ozone Hole Already Larger Than in 2007 - WMO
2- CLIMATE CHANGE: Chemical Lobby Weakening Ozone Treaty
3- Umbrellas Hawaii Announces an Arc of Sun Protection for Globally Endangered Skin
4- CFCs phased out ahead of schedule to save Ozone Layer in India
5- Illicit imports keep damaging ozone layer

GLOBAL
1- Antarctic Ozone Hole Already Larger Than in 2007 - WMO
Source: PlanetArk, Reuters News Service, 17 September 17, 2008, http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/50255/story.htm

2- CLIMATE CHANGE: Chemical Lobby Weakening Ozone Treaty
Source: Climate Ark, 16 September 2008, By: Stephen Leahy, http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=106713&keybold=ozone%20treaty%20chemical%20lobby

NORTH AMERICA
3- Umbrellas Hawaii Announces an Arc of Sun Protection for Globally Endangered Skin
For more sun protection information visit the following websites:
Cancer.org, CDC.gov, AAD.org, WHO.int, EPA.gov.
For more information on Umbrellas Hawaii visit www.umbrellashawaii.com

SOUTH ASIA
4- CFCs Phased Out Ahead of Schedule to Save Ozone Layer in India
Source: Press Information Bureau , Government of India, 16 September 2008,
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=42825

SOUTH EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC
5- Illicit Imports Keep Damaging Ozone Layer
Source: The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara, 17 September 2008
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/09/17/illicit-imports-keep-damaging-ozone-layer.html
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>> FEATURED Reading >>
The World Meteorological Organisation, Antarctic Ozone Bulletin, No. 2/2008
Read/Download PDF >>> http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/documents/ant-bulletin-2-2008.pdf
Source: The World Meteorological Organisation, http://www.wmo.int/pages/index_en.html

- Issues for discussion by and information of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention at its eighth meeting and the Twentieth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (E) Advance Copy
- 8COP: Recommendations of the seventh meeting of the Ozone Research Managers of the Parties to the Vienna Convention - UNEP/OzL.Conv.8/6 (E) - Advance Copy
- Centrum - The Ozone Secretariat biannual e-newsletter
- Backgrounder: An overview of the Montreal Protocol's progress to-date
- 20MOP: Review of essential-use decisions -UNEP/OzL.Pro.20/8 (E) - Advance Copy

Celebrate the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

Tuesday, 16 September 2008

On 19 December 1994, the U.N. General Assembly proclaimed 16 September the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date, in 1987, on which the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed (resolution 49/114). States were invited to devote the Day to promote, at the national level, activities in accordance with the objectives of the Montreal Protocol and its amendments. The ozone layer filters sunlight and prevents the adverse effects of ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth's surface, thereby preserving life on the planet >>> http://www.un.org/Overview/unconfs.html

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"Montreal Protocol - Global Partnership for Global Benefits"

…The theme of this year's celebration is meant to celebrate the multifaceted approach pursued by the Parties in the implementation of the Protocol. In fact, to date, the Montreal Protocol has reduced ozone-depleting substances by over 95 percent, thereby protecting the ozone layer for this and future generations. The reductions achieved have also resulted in very large reductions of global warming gases, thereby contributing significantly to the protection of the global climate system.

The Secretariat is very appreciative of the great efforts done by the Parties to phase out ozone-depleting substances and their continued commitment to implement the Montreal Protocol, and we believe the encouraging results achieved by your Government, should also be shared with the public along with the essence of this year's theme...

Quote from the message to the Parties, by Marco Gonzalez, Executive Secretary, UNEP Ozone Secretariat, http://ozone.unep.org

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Learning by Playing - Innovative Education Tool for Secondary Schools Launched During Global Montreal Protocol Celebrations
"Montreal Protocol - Global Partnership for Global Benefits"

New York/Nairobi 16 September 2008 - Under the theme "Montreal Protocol - Global Partnership for Global Benefits - UNEP, UNESCO, UNICEF and WHO announce the launch of the new OzonAction Education Pack for Secondary Schools entitled "High Sky", during the celebration of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

This guide, targeted of secondary school students (13-16 years old) includes a teacher's book, a student's book and a collection of Ozzy and Zoe Ozone multimedia materials.

This package contains an entire teaching and learning programme based on key knowledge, practical skills, and participation that enables teachers and students to learn about simple solutions to protect the ozone layer and safely enjoy the sun.

The Education Pack uses an innovative and interactive approach - "role playing" - to engage the students in the subject matter.

The reader assumes the role of a journalism student about to get a job in an important news agency and he/she is challenged to write an article to tell the world the current situation of the ozone layer and the linkage with climate change, including practical tips for children to help protect our planet.

The Montreal Protocol deadline for developing countries to complete the phase - out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), carbon tetrachloride (CTC) and halons is by 1 January 2010.
However, there is still remaining work to be done with other chemicals such as hydrofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and methyl bromide. Scientists now expect the ozone layer to recover only by 2050 if all of the necessary measures under the Protocol are implemented as planned.

This Education Pack mobilizes children and teachers to do their part to help achieve these compliance targets, and informs them how to use safe sun practices.

The Pack was jointly produced by the DTIE OzonAction Branch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and was supported by the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

"Children are the most valuable resource of our planet. Kids and their parents are protected by the ozone layer, our Earth's protective shield, which is under continued threat" says Mr. Achim Steiner, UNEP's Executive Director.

"The complex problems of global environment cannot be solved only by developing technologies but by deploying them through a learning process. The Education Pack not only explains the problem, but encourages children to find practical solutions. Through this new initiative, UNEP is giving a very strong message to save the planet".

The OzonAction Education Pack is also linked to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, which is led by UNESCO.

UNEP, UNESCO, UNICEF and WHO are jointly promoting the OzonAction Education Pack to countries around the world and encouraging Environment, Education and Health Ministries, schools and teachers to adopt it as part of the secondary school curriculum.

Notes to editors:
The signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer on 16 September 1987 is now celebrated every year as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
UNEP as an Implementing Agency of the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol through the OzonAction Branch of the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, has a unique regionalized programme that delivers compliance assistance services to countries to assist them meet the international commitments under the Protocol. The compliance regime requires countries to: achieve and sustain compliance, promote a greater sense of country ownership and implement the agreed Executive Committee framework for strategic planning.
Ozzy Ozone is the UNEP's flagship campaign for children regarding stratosphere ozone protection initiated as part of our organization's mandate as an Implementing Agency of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
The Ozzy Ozone character is a registered trademark of the Government of Barbados. UNEP would like to thank the Government of Barbados for its permission to use this character.
For more information, including resources and ideas for celebrating International Ozone Day, see: http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction/events/ozoneday/2008.htm
For more information please contact:
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson, Office of the Executive Director, on Tel: +254 20 762 3084; Mobile: 254 733 632 755 or when traveling +41 795 965 737; E-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org
Or Anne-France White, Associate Information Officer, on Tel: +254 20 762 3088, Mobile: + 254 728600494; E-mail: anne-france.white@unep.org
Or Anne Fenner, Information Officer, UNEP DTIE OzonAction Branch, 15 Rue, de Milan, 75441 Paris CEDEX 09, France, Tel.: +33 144 37 14 50 Fax: +33 144 37 14 74, E-mail: afenner@unep.fr, Web:
http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction, http://www.ozzyozone.org

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More than Twenty Years after the Signing of the Montreal Protocol, the OzoneLayer has Stabilized but Large Antarctic Ozone Hole Continues to Occur

The United Nations declared the 16th of September as the International Day for the Protection of the Ozone Layer to commemorate the 16th of September 1987, the date when the Montreal Protocol was signed. The Protocol controls the production and use of ozone depleting substances. It is an example of a successful cooperation between scientists and industry as well as between developed and developing countries and provides an excellent paradigm to the international community for cooperation on complex environmental issues of global importance.

The theme of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on 16 September
2008 is: "Montreal Protocol - Global partnership for global benefits"1.

The Montreal protocol has been a major success for reducing the emissions and atmospheric abundances of most ozone depleting substances. Ground-based and space-based measurements show that the stratospheric loadings of chlorine and bromine, the harmful species harmful to the ozone layer, are in slow decline. Scientific estimates show that continued worldwide compliance with the Montreal Protocol will cause the ozone layer to recover during the 21st century.
Ozone abundances in the extra-polar regions, between 60°S and 60°N, have stabilized with
average annual values approximately 3% below pre-1980 levels in the Northern Hemisphere
and 6% in the Southern Hemisphere.

However, large Antarctic ozone holes continue to occur. In 2007, the area of the ozone hole reached 22 million km2 (the continent of Europe has a surface area of 10.2 million km2). In the beginning of September 2008, the ozone hole area reached 25 million km2. The variability of the ozone hole area in the recent years is due to the year-to-year variability of dynamical processes affecting the ozone layer. This variability is likely to delay the detection of the onset of ozone recovery over Antarctica. Antarctic ozone is expected to remain low through the next decade.

Arctic ozone depletion also remains large. In three of the last four Arctic winters, ozone
losses reached about 20%. Large ozone losses will likely continue to occur in cold Arctic
winters during the next two decades. However, Arctic ozone also exhibits very large year-to year variability, driven by meteorological conditions that will mask any signal of recovery.

In polar and sub-polar regions, high UV-B irradiances lasting for a few days have been
observed. In high southern latitudes, these high UV-B events are associated with polar ozone depletion. At some stations in unpolluted locations, long-term measurements indicate that UVB radiation levels have been decreasing over the last decade, in accordance with observed ozone increases. However, at some Northern Hemisphere stations UV-B irradiances are still increasing. This increase could be linked to long-term changes in atmospheric aerosol and cloud cover.

Recovery of the ozone layer is expected to occur around the middle of the 21st century as a
result of the decrease of ozone depleting substances. However, future increases in
greenhouse gases concentrations in the atmosphere will affect the ozone layer. In addition,
future ozone changes will also affect climate, particularly in the Southern hemisphere. Recent results have emphasized the importance of stratospheric ozone recovery for predicting Antarctic surface climate change.

The International Ozone Commission (IO3C) of IAMAS-IUGG urges all national and
international Agencies, which support scientific research and monitoring of ozone and
related parameters to continue supporting these activities.

In particular, the list of planned satellite observing systems from 2008 onward shows that the world's capability for measuring profiles of ozone and trace gases that affect ozone will end at about 2015. These profiles characterize ozone and trace gas changes in the critical altitude regions near the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere as well as the upper stratosphere. These measurements also overlap with those required for climate data records.The lack of such measurements will hinder the ability of the scientific community to assess the success of the Montreal Protocol with respect to the recovery of the ozone layer.

The International Ozone Commission recommends that new satellite observations of high
vertical resolution profiles be implemented in order to more accurately understand the
changes in O3 as ozone-destroying substances decline and climate change occurs. Critical
profile measurements include ozone, molecules related to ozone destruction such as
chlorofluorocarbons, and climate-related trace gases such as methane, nitrous oxide and
water vapour.

1 Please visit the web site of the Ozone Secretariat for the Vienna Convention at the following specific address where you will find suggestions for worldwide activities on the 2008 International Ozone Day. http://ozone.unep.org/Events/ozone_day_2008/index.shtml

This text has been reviewed by the IO3C members last on September 12th

For more information: Dr. Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Secretary of the International Ozone Commission, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Service d'Aéronomie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 75252, Paris, Cedex 05, France, Tel.: +33 1 44 27 47 67, Fax: +33 1 44 27 49 67, mobile: +33 6 77 18 38 64, e-mail: sophie.godin@aero.jussieu.fr. IO3C: http://ioc.atmos.uiuc.edu
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WMO Northern Hemisphere Ozone Mapping Center: http://lap.physics.auth.gr/ozonemaps
WMO Antarctic Ozone Bulletin: http://www.wmo.ch/web/arep/ozone.html,
European Ozone Coordinating Unit: http://www.ozone-sec.ch.cam.ac.uk/,
World Ozone and Ultraviolet Data Center: http://www.woudc.org
Ozone Hole Watch: http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/
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Source: International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS)
International Ozone Commission (IO3C), Press Release,
Professor Christos Zerefos, President, zerefos@geol.uoa.gr
Dr. Sophie Godin- Beekmann, Secretary, sophie.godin@aero.jussieu.fr
Dr. Richard S. Stolarski, Vice President, Richard.S.Stolarski@nasa.gov

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Get inspired !
You are interested in celebrating the Ozone Day and want to learn how others are commemorating. See some suggestions and get inspired by visiting the special feature on UNEP DTIE OzonAction website >>
- 'International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer' provides countries with awareness raising ideas/suggestion and the products that they can use for their ozone day celebrations.
http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction/events/ozoneday/2008.htm
- 'Activities for International Ozone Day 2008' reports on the activities that countries organized during ozone day. http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction/events/ozoneday/2008_events.htm