Mexico taking the lead in Latin America in phasing out ozone-depleting substances

Small recycling centres packed with worn-out household appliances - anything from broken phones to motorcycles - dot towns and villages across Mexico. It is in these mostly one-person workshops that the recycling and destruction of tons of electric appliances are handled. In most of these centres, the process is quite rudimentary: the appliances are disassembled and the parts that can be reused are recycled; then the parts that have no value are dumped in landfills where the waste can cause serious environmental problems.

Supporting Chile's farmers in phasing out ozone-depleting methyl bromide

Methyl bromide has for several decades been widely used by farmers around the world as a soil fumigant to control soil-borne diseases and pests affecting important crops... Among farmers in Chile, methyl bromide was commonly used for the fumigation and sterilization of soil for cultivating tomatoes and strawberries.

Propane persuasion: air-conditioning in China

Much of the work of UNIDO’s Montreal Protocol Division occurs in the refrigeration sector. To date, there have been more than 450 projects in 61 countries.

Croatia fully eliminates ozone-depleting substances under the Montreal Protocol

Croatia is the first country to completely abolish the use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), one of the most damaging substances to the ozone layer, with the support of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

UNIDO and the Montreal Protocol: a lasting contribution to the MDGs

St Vincent and the Grenadines: "If we can do it...."

The Montreal Protocol successfully banned the refrigerants called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are substances that deplete the ozone layer. Unfortunately, their most common replacements, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), are potent greenhouse gases, and can contribute to climate change, which is why those are now also on the chopping block in many climate-conscious countries, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

China and UNIDO partner to phase out ozone depleting and greenhouse gases under Montreal Protocol

In July 2011, the People’s Republic of China signed an USD 265 million agreement with the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol to reduce its use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) by 17 per cent. HCFC is a gas used for different applications, such as refrigeration and air conditioning, foam blowing, spray applications, aerosols among others.

How grafting helped me grow

For many years, methyl bromide, a fumigant that can deplete the ozone layer and is harmful to human health, was sprayed on soil before crops were grown in order to control soil-borne diseases. As part of a project to eliminate the use of methyl bromide, implemented by UNIDO in several states in Mexico, workers - especially women - have been trained in the use of alternatives to methyl bromide, such as the technique of grafting.