The Causes of Ozone Depletion

There is now indisputable scientific evidence that chlorine and bromine from man made chemicals - in particular the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, hydrobromofluorocarbons (HBFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and methyl bromide - are contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer, that segment of the earths atmosphere that protects humans, animals and plants from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation.

Over the past few decades until 1990 these ODSs have been used increasingly in industry for a wide range of applications including refrigerants, aerosol propellants, foam blowing agents, solvent degreasers, and fire protection equipment.

The Vienna Convention

Concern about the harmful effects of stratospheric ozone depletion led to a call for global action to halt the production and use of ODSs. The Vienna Convention signed in March 1988 first established the principle that countries would agree internationally to take steps to protect the ozone layer. The Convention pledges Parties to protect human health and the environment from the effects of ozone depletion, co-operate in research, observation and information exchange.

Brunei Darussalam acceded to the Vienna Convention on 26 July 1990.

The Montreal Protocol (1987)

The Montreal Protocol, developed under the management of UNEP and signed in September 1987, came into force on 1 January 1989. The Protocol identified the major ODSs (Annex A) and established a timetable for their reductions. Under the Montreal Protocol, production and consumption of controlled substance are to be reduced and eliminated through the development and introduction of substitute and other methods.

Brunei Darussalam acceded to the protocol on 23 May 1993 and enterered into force for Brunei Darussalam on 23 August 1993

The London Amendments 1990

New scientific information soon made it clear that the original protocol would not protect the ozone layer adequately. A revision made in London in June 1990 adopted supplementary control measures, set phase-out dates and provided for technical and financial assistance to be given to the signatories from developing countries through the establishment of a multilateral fund. The London amendments came into force on 10 August 1992.

The Copenhagen Amendments 1992

The Fourth meeting of the Montreal Protocol led to further amendments which came into force 14 June 1994. The Copenhagen Amendment advanced the phase out schedule for CFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform, while establishing procedures for the Parties to allow provision for production and consumption for essential uses. It also introduced the listing of methyl bromide, HBFCs and HCFCs as controlled substance, and established phase-out schedules for HCFCs and HBFCs.

The Benefits of Becoming a Party

The Montreal Protocol contains provisions which on the one hand disadvantage non-parties and at the same time bring advantages to Parties.

Non-Parties are disadvantaged through:

i.

The inability to import controlled substance from parties: As of January 1993, all Parties are required to ban exports of CFCs and halons to non-Parties. A corresponding requirement with regard to "other CFCs, carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform, entered into force on 10 August 1993. It will therefore become difficult for non-Parties to obtain these controlled substances. In addition Parties that have not ratified the London or Copenhagen amendments are regarded as non-Parties with regard to substance added to the controlled substance list by these amendments (i.e. other CFCs, carbon tetrachloride and 1,1,1-trichloroethane by the London amendments and HCFCs and methyl bromide by the Copenhagen amendments);

ii.

Closed access to worlds markets: Parties are required to have banned the import of certain products containing controlled substances (such as domestic refrigerators, air-conditioning equipment, aerosols and portable fire extinguishers) from any non-Party as of 27 May 1993;

iii.

Difficulty in obtaining new technologies: No financial support will be available from the Multilateral Fund to developing countries which are non-Parties to assist them in switching over to new technologies or in replacing controlled substances.

By contrast, developing countries which become Parties under Article 5 of the Protocol benefit from:

i.

Financial and technical support: Available through the Multilateral Fund, established to provide assistance to Article 5 countries in order to cover ‘incremental costs’ associated with the replacement of ODSs;

ii.

Transfer of latest technology and access to world markets: Through technical and financial assistance, Parties will be in a better position to acquire technologies for producing and using substitutes as well as for reducing use and emissions of controlled substance. They will therefore be able to compete in the world market.

THE CHALLENGE OF THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL

The Challenge for Industry

The impact of the Montreal Protocol in consumption of ODSs, means that industries need to plan for the transition on non ODS technologies. This transition requires changes to operating practices in a number of industry sectors including, for instance:

i.

Producers of ODSs;

ii.

Refrigeration, air conditioning manufacturers and component manufactures;

iii.

Refrigeration and air conditioning engineers and maintenance and repair businesses

iv.

Foam manufacturers;

v.

Aerosol manufacturers

vi.

Suppliers of halon based fire protection equipment;

vii.

Electronics manufacturers;

viii.

Various small scale enterprises using ODSs for cleaning

Enterprises in these sectors need to become aware of the issues and the implications of the protocol for them; to learn about the technical options available for ODS phase-out; to plan specific investment projects for making the change within their own enterprise. There are significant business risks associated with the transition.

The Challenge for Consumers

Consumers too have to respond to the phase-out of ODSS based products and chemicals. For certain consumers, the transition to non-ODS based products is often an easy one (e.g. cosmetic aerosols). For others not so easy:

i.

Domestic and commercial owners of refrigerators and air-conditioning equipment will wish to maintain their existing equipment until the end of its useful life, but may find it increasingly difficult to do so in the light of restricted ODSs for recharge. This may result in the need to invest in new equipment earlier than anticipated;

ii.

Owners of fire protection systems may need to convert existing installations or use alternative methods of fire protection. Including introducing new alarms systems, re-location of equipment and installing new fire insulations to building. This may require technical investigations, involve significant investment, and cause disruption to normal operations;

iii.

When planning new installation of air-conditioning or fire protection systems consumers will need to consider alternatives to the traditional ODS based solutions. This requires familiarisation with the options, their relative performance, and costs. In the context of rapidly evolving non-ODS technologies, it may be different to arrive at a clear preferred option.

The Challenge for Government

The Government has a central role in co-ordinating and facilitating the effective national response by industry and consumers to the Montreal Protocol. The role of government has two key dimensions.

National Dimension - This will involve planning for phase-out, creating and operating the legal, fiscal and institutional arrangements to enable phase-out to happen in accordance with the requirement of the protocol or earlier, and providing assistance to industry and consumers to respond effectively. Activities may include:

i.

Organising awareness and training programmes for industry and the public;

ii.

Preparing a country programme setting out a strategy and plan of action for phase out of ODSs;

iii.

Designing and implementing regulatory and fiscal measures aimed at facilitating phase-out;

iv.

Creating an effective national system for monitoring and reporting on national consumption of ODS.

International Dimension - This will include:

i.

Ratification of the Protocol and its amendments;

ii.

Reporting consumption and production data to the Ozone Secretariat;

iii.

Representation of the country at meetings of the Parties to the Protocol and other related meetings;

iv.

Facilitating the exchange of information with other Parties to the Protocol, for instance through bilateral technolog

y transfer and regional networking;

v.

Reporting on progress of phase-out programmes and projects funded by the Multilateral Fund.