Press Release - Ozone Day 2000

Nairobi, 16 September 2000 - The United Nations and its Environment Programme (UNEP) are marking International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer today by calling on governments, industries, non-governmental organizations and individual citizens to remain vigilant in their efforts to protect the ozone layer.

"We cannot afford to be complacent," said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "The remarkable progress achieved so far must continue until we are absolutely certain that the ozone layer is fully protected."

"Attention must now shift from the industrialized countries, which have led the way in lowering chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) output, to the developing countries, which must phase out CFC emissions by 2010, the deadline agreed under the Montreal Protocol," he said. "Only continued compliance with the Protocol by both developed and developing nations will ensure a complete recovery of the ozone layer."

Mr. Annan was speaking shortly after the report that satellites have confirmed the current ozone "hole" over the Antarctic is the largest ever recorded. The hole measures a record 28.3 million square kilometres, over one million square kilometres larger than the previous record in 1998.

Last December, the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer met in China and adopted critical decisions ensuring further financial support to help developing countries phase out CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances.

"The partnership between developed and developing countries must remain strong and effective so that the momentum achieved to date will continue throughout the developing-country phase-out that started last year," said UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer.

A partnership from pole to pole

International collaboration on ozone protection will be on display when Argentina and Finland, together with UNEP, join each other in celebrating the International Day in Ushuaia, Argentina - which, as the southernmost city in the world, located just 1,000 km from Antarctica, experiences the highest levels of ozone depletion - and in Sodankylä, Finland, the closest city to the Arctic.

Both Finland and Argentina are particularly vulnerable to enhanced springtime ultra-violet (UV) radiation reaching the Earth due to ozone depletion, which is most severe near the poles in both hemispheres. The joint celebration will emphasize the global nature of ozone depletion and the need for international cooperation on reversing the damage. Finland and Argentina have been collaborating since 1987 on scientific investigations of the atmospheric ozone and solar UV radiation.

The two events will be linked through a telephone conference and Internet. The activities shared by both countries will include:

launching of the ozone sondes (devices sent up to obtain information about atmospheric conditions) at the Marambio research station in Antarctica, and in Sodankylä, and presentation of the measurement results

exchange of messages between the environmental authorities and meteorological research institutes of Argentina and Finland presentations on the state of the ozone layer over the Antarctic and the Arctic and on the control of emissions of ozone-depleting substances by experts from both countries

Argentina will carry out some additional activities, including broadcasting by CNN, Discovery Channel and Channel 11 from Ushuaia and Channel 7 covering the national television network.

"The Montreal Protocol constitutes an outstanding model of international cooperation, particularly between developed and developing countries," said Mr. Toepfer. "A joint celebration by the countries most affected by ozone depletion is an example of this cooperation and should help inspire the international community to continue working for a prompt recovery of the ozone layer."

While the ozone layer continues to weaken as the emissions of past decades gradually drift up to the stratosphere, it is expected to start recovering in the coming years as more and more countries adopt ozone-friendly technologies. However, a recent meeting of the UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol emphasized that the timing for this recovery remains uncertain. In particular, the Panel noted that the interactions between global warming effects and ozone depletion could delay ozone recovery by an additional decade.

The theme for this year's International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer,

16 September is "Save O3ur Sky: Protect Yourself; Protect the Ozone Layer".