18 Sep 2022

  Sharing and exchanging of ideas and experiences is vital to saving the ozone layer, the environment and eventually saving life on earth.

Acting Minister of Environment and Tourism, Mr Sethabelo Modukanele said this at the commemoration of the World Ozone Day in Kanye on Friday.

Mr Modukanele said the ozone layer was important to protecting life on earth from harmful ultraviolent radiation.

“A depleted ozone layer would lead to a number of negative effects such as skin cancer, eye cataracts, suppressed immune system and poor crop quality,” he explained.

He said in effort to preserve the ozone layer, the international community came up with the Montreal Protocol, which had been hailed as a success in protecting the stratospheric ozone layer against synthetic chemicals, some of which caused global warming.

“Today, we celebrate 35 years of the Montreal Protocol’s success,” he said adding, under the protocol, nations agreed to control the production and consumption of substances known to deplete the ozone layer.

Again, he said the Montreal Protocol had been universally ratified and decisively implemented, attesting to the fact that a lot could be achieved through a united world.

Mr Modukanele said Botswana joined the Protocol in 1992 and had since 2010, maintained zero consumption of chlorofluorocarbons, among others.

He added that Botswana was also committed to her obligations and had, through the Department of Meteorological Services, developed the Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) Regulations of 2014.

The regulations, he said, enabled effective implementation of a licensing quota system for controlling importation and exportation of ozone depleting substances, which had yielded positive results towards the reduction of their consumption in the country.

“In an endeavour to combat the proliferation of controlled ODS in Botswana, the meteorological services department has partnered with Botswana Unified Revenue Service in the training of customs officers and clearing agents based at various ports of entry, in the implementation of Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations,” he added.

For her part, the ministry’s acting permanent secretary, Ms Abigail Engleton highlighted that the obligation to phase out ozone depleting substances would not be solely implemented by the ministry.

Ms Engleton said key stakeholders such as BURS, which controlled measures on the imports and exports of ozone depleting substances at ports of entry, different tertiary institutions, Department of Facilities Management, all contributed immensely in assisting Botswana to meet her obligations under the Montreal Protocol.

“Trainers from these institutions have been trained on the ozone-related issues and they are now Montreal Protocol Trainers, who offer training on new refrigeration and air conditioning technologies and on the safe handling and management of flammable refrigerants,” she said.

She added that their aim was to create a pool of trainers who would work in partnership with their ministry to raise awareness on ozone related issues.

She explained that commemorating the World Ozone Day aimed to spread awareness about the ozone layer protection and preservation as well as share information on the substances that depleted the layer.

She, therefore, appealed to attendants to share the information with those who failed to attend, saying it was through individual efforts that the ozone layer could be protected along with life.

Kgosi Kwelagobe Mookodi, ga Ngwaketse senior chief’s representative said climate change had devastating effects, hence the need for events like World Ozone Day to exchange ideas and experiences to avert such.

The World Ozone Day commemoration was held under the theme, Montreal Protocol@35: Global Cooperation Protecting Life on Earth. BOPA