The last time I checked, every
September 16 remained the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone
Layer. In other words, yesterday, the global community commemorated the 2016
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 have, 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 current 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 2016 as well as
the 22nd anniversary, 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!
Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor
(TheMediaAmbassador)-Researcher, Blogger, Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights activist-
Chief Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research
& Career Development - Owerri
_____________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter: @mediambassador
