By Fred Doc Nwaozor
The
last time I checked, every September 16 remained the International Day for the
Preservation of the Ozone Layer. In other words, today being Saturday, the
global community is commemorating the 2017 anniversary of the laudable event.
In respect to the sustenance of
the widely observed Montreal Protocol, on 19th of December 1994, the
United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed September 16 of every year as
the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The day focuses
on the importance of protecting human health and the environment in general.
The ozone layer is a fragile
shield of gases that protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet radiation
or rays of the sun as well as helps to keep it (the earth) warm, thereby helping
to preserve lives on the planet. The ozone layer is composed of ozone, a
molecule made up of three oxygen atoms bonded together by a covalent bond –
ozone has the chemical formula O3. The ozone layer is essential because it
filters harmful ultraviolet radiation as it travels from the sun to the surface
of the earth. These ultraviolet rays can harm both plant and animal lives.
The ozone layer is located in
the stratosphere, a region of the atmosphere that is about 10 to 50 kilometres
above the earth. The stratosphere comprises approximately 90 per cent ozone. The
ozone layer, which is part of the stratosphere, is comprised of the major
atmospheric gases nitrogen, oxygen and argon, but also contains a significantly
higher concentration of the trace gas ozone than the other layers of the
atmosphere. The trace gases include carbon dioxide, neon, helium, methane, and
the manmade chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The CFCs reaching the stratosphere from
the earth’s surface have become a cause for global concern because of the role
they play in the chemical reaction that removes ozone from the atmosphere.
Mankind has, over the decades, been bewildered by so many environmental hazards and challenges. Currently, the worst of all is mainly attributable to depletion of the ozone layer. A number of commonly used chemicals like halocarbons and/or organic compounds have been found to be extremely damaging to the ozone layer. Halocarbons are chemicals in which one or more carbon atoms are linked to one or more halogen atoms such as fluorine, chlorine and bromine. The halocarbons containing bromine usually have much higher Ozone-Depleting Potential (ODP) than those that consist of chlorine or others.
The manmade chemicals that have
provided most of the chlorine and bromine for ozone depletion are
methyl-bromide, methyl-chloroform, carbon-tetrachloride, and families of
chemicals known as halons, chlorofluorocarbons and hydro-chlorofluorocarbons.
Also, the damaging impact of organic compounds like carbon-monoxide on the ozone
layer cannot be overemphasized. Some of the human activities that result to
this environmental menace are bush-burning and industrial combustion.
The scientific confirmation of
the depletion of the ozone layer prompted the international community to
establish a mechanism for cooperation to take drastic action to protect the ozone
layer. This was formalized in the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the
Ozone Layer, which was adopted by twenty-eight (28) countries on 22nd
March 1985. In September 1987, this led to the drafting of the Treaty on The
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which was duly signed
by all the UN Member States.
The fundamental aim of the
Montreal Protocol is to protect the ozone layer by taking severe measures to
control total global production and consumption of substances that deplete it, with
the ultimate target toward their elimination from the basis of developments in
scientific knowledge and technological information.
In view of the steady progress
made under the Montreal Protocol, in 2003, the former UN Secretary-General Mr.
Kofi Annan stated thus, ‘Perhaps the single most successful international agreement
till date has been the Montreal Protocol.’ Similarly, during the 2013
commemoration of the day, which was marked with the theme ‘A healthy
Atmosphere: the Future we want’, in his message to the world, the immediate
past UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon commended all who had made the
Montreal Protocol such an outstanding example of international cooperation. He
went further to urge governments, industries, civil societies, and other
partners to apply the same spirit to the other great environmental and developmental
challenges of our time.
The
phase-out of controlled uses of ozone depleting substances has not only helped
to protect the ozone layer, but has contributed immensely and significantly to
global efforts of addressing climate change. This year’s commemoration of the
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is calling for
greater awareness regarding the Ozone Layer’s preservation in order to fully
actualize the aim of this remarkable globally recognized crusade that requires
the effort of all and sundry.
As Nigeria joins the rest of
the world to celebrate the 2017 as well as the 23rd anniversary of
the remarkable day, we are expected to contribute our quota with a view to
ensuring that we actualize an atmosphere or environment that is totally free
from any harmful substance. We can achieve this by embarking on or sponsoring,
as the case may be, all forms of awareness campaigns targeted toward thorough
sensitization of the general public on the dangers inherent in the uncalled
domestic cum industrial acts.
Nigeria as a country can encourage this annual
event by implementing severe policies that would help to eradicate all the
activities opposing the preservation of the ozone layer such as bush burning,
inapt use of generators and other household mechanical devices, coupled with
other industrial practices that exhibit carbon-monoxide (smoke) alongside other
substances that negatively affect the ozone layer. A strict and formidable law,
to be enacted by the legislators, would help to rigorously address the
aforementioned anomalies, if duly implemented.
It’s noteworthy that only a sound value system
can guarantee a viable environmental condition, and such cannot be actualized
without adequate policies and reorientation. People need to fully comprehend
that, excessive amounts of ultraviolet penetration pose both health and safety
risks for all organisms, including humans; that, without a protective layer of
cloud cover, organisms are vulnerable to the sun’s rays, which can cause skin
cancer and contribute to the development of cataracts.
These rays equally reduce the
ability of organisms, such as plants and phytoplankton, to reproduce. It may
also disrupt the reproductive cycles of fish, shrimp and other shellfishes. On
the other hand, air pollution prevents the ozone layer from blocking excessive
heat emitted by the sun, which in turn warms surrounding environments, thereby
resulting to glacier melt and ice thaws. These, among others, are some vital
and basic facts people need to be sensitized on. The Information ministry in
collaboration with its Environment counterpart, via the effort of the National
Orientation Agency (NOA), would be of immense help in this regard.
Considering the social and economic
implications of the ozone-layer’s depletion, it’s needless to reiterate that stringent
measures and regulations are required with a view to ensuring that the ongoing
environmental degradation becomes a thing of the past, towards actualizing a
complete hazard-free atmosphere. Think about it!
Comrade Nwaozor, Executive
Director, Docfred
Resource Hub (DRH) - Owerri, writes via
frednwaozor@gmail.com
Contact:- +2348028608056, rostrummedia@gmail.com
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