The Environment Ministry released the action plan for implementing the recommendations of the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP).
Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey released the action plan for implementing recommendations of the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP).
The ICAP addresses cooling requirements across sectors and has listed actions that can help reduce the cooling demand through synergies in actions for securing both environmental and socio-economic benefits. It aims to reduce both direct and indirect emissions.
The minister was chairing an event to mark the 27th Global Ozone Day to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol. The day is celebrated every year to spread awareness among people about the depletion of the ozone layer and the measures taken/ to be taken to preserve it.
Centre in a release said that India has phased out Chlorofluorocarbons, Carbon tetrachloride, Halons, Methyl Bromide and Methyl Chloroform for controlled uses in line with the Montreal Protocol.
"Currently Hydrochlorofluorocarbons are being phased out as per the accelerated schedule of the Montreal Protocol. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP) Stage-I has been successfully implemented from 2012 to 2016 and Hydrochlorofluorocarbons Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP) Stage-II is currently under implementation from 2017 and will be completed by 2023," the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.
Ashwini Kumar Choubey said that one of the reasons for India’s success in phasing out the Ozone Depleting Substances is the involvement of key stakeholders both at the planning as well as implementation levels.
"Industries, research institutions, consumers have all been contributing significantly to the ozone-depleting substances phase-out programme of the Montreal Protocol in India," he added.
INDIA'S NOD TO KIGALI AMENDMENT
Referring to the Kigali Amendment, which was recently ratified by the Narendra Modi led government, Ashwini Kumar Choubey said that issues relating to minimising industrial inactivity and adverse economic impacts should appropriately be addressed while developing a Hydrofluorocarbon phase down strategy for implementing it.
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol aims to gradually reduce the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), introduced as a non-ozone-depleting alternative to Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which have high global warming potential ranging from 12 to 14000.
The phasedown will bolster India's attempt at tackling the menace of climate change as "the industry producing and consuming Hydrofluorocarbons will be phasing out Hydrofluorocarbons as per the agreed schedule under and transition to non-HFC and low global warming potential technologies," Centre said in a statement.
OZONE LAYER HOLE GETS BIGGER THAN ANTARCTICA
A report from the Copernicus Monitoring Service that tracks the Ozone layer said that the hole in the invisible layer has become bigger than Antarctica in 2021.
“This year, the ozone hole developed as expected at the start of the season. It seems pretty similar to last year's, which also wasn't really exceptional in September, but then turned into one of the longest-lasting ozone holes in our data record later in the season. Now our forecasts show that this year´s hole has evolved into a rather larger than usual one," the agency said.
The hole, first spotted in 1985, as a result of emissions from ozone-depleting chemicals and greenhouse gases including chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), which had an application in a wide range of utilities and products. However, over the years the hole has been shrinking with the adoption of the Montreal Protocol.
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