Use of ozone-depleting substances in Belarus has decreased by more than 60 times since 1989, reads a review for the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, which is celebrated on 16 September, BelTA learned from the National Center for Hydrometeorology, Radioactive Contamination Control, and Environmental Monitoring (Belhydromet) at the Belarusian Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Ministry.
The International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is a symbol of global unity in the fight for the planet. The theme for 2024 is the Montreal Protocol: Advancing Climate Action. This day calls the attention to the importance of protecting the ozone layer from harmful ultraviolet radiation, which penetrates the vulnerable layer and has a negative impact.
The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, signed on 16 September 1987, brought together 197 countries. It has already yielded results: concentration of ozone grows by 2% per decade on average.
"Projections for each of the ozone-depleting substances are different, but in general the ozone concentration will return to 1980 level by mid-century. If all countries of the world comply with the Montreal Protocol and its amendments, the atmosphere is expected to be completely cleaned from ozone-depleting substances by 2100," the review says.
In Belarus, the protocol came into force in 1989. Since then, the country has been fulfilling all undertaken obligations. The consumption of ozone-depleting substances has decreased by over 60 times. Belarusian scientists are working on methods to recycle hazardous gases and replace them with safe analogues. The scientists constantly monitor the state of the atmosphere and the ozone layer."
BelTA – News from Belarus
