World Ozone Day: DG Müller highlights work under Montreal Protocol as a beacon for climate action

16 September 2024

Ozone day

VIENNA, SEP 16: World Ozone Day is observed every year on September 16, marking the importance of the ozone layer and the Montreal Protocol agreement of 1987, which protects it.

UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller: “The Montreal Protocol is a powerful example of successful multilateralism to find solutions to global challenges. Once we discovered the threat to the ozone layer, everyone – governments around the world, the private sector, and civil society – worked together with urgency and in the end with great success! Without the Montreal Protocol, we would have faced a global health catastrophe and disastrous impacts on the entire ecosystem. UNIDO supported industries worldwide to undergo significant transformations to comply with the Montreal Protocol. They adapted and invested in research to discover ozone-friendly technologies. This development of new, sustainable technologies has created jobs, driven innovation, improved food security, promoted circular economy practices and opened up new markets.  This shows that environmental protection and economic growth can go hand in hand.”

Since 1993, UNIDO, as one of the four implementing agencies of the agreement, has been supporting over 100 countries worldwide with projects to implement the Montreal Protocol. Last year alone, 41 million metric tons of Carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the emissions from over 9.2 million cars driven in a year, have been avoided thanks to UNIDO projects under Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment. The Director General also acknowledged the crucial role played by other implementing agencies of the Montreal Protocol—the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.

Müller highlighted: “This is the kind of strong international cooperation that the world needs to solve our common global challenges. Climate change is now the greatest challenge we all face, so let us join forces with the same determination to bring low-emission and climate-resilient solutions worldwide. The Montreal Protocol continues to protect people and planet alike. UNIDO stands ready to deliver concrete solutions.”

UNIDO, the ozone layer, and the Montreal Protocol

The ozone layer is a part of the Earth's atmosphere that absorbs most of the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in aerosol cans, refrigeration and air conditioning and the foam sector were identified as the cause of this depletion. The Montreal Protocol resolved to phase out the production and consumption of CFCs and nearly 100 other man-made chemicals or ozone-depleting substances (ODS).

Since 2010 alone, UNIDO has supported governments, institutions and industries all over the world through Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund projects, including helping over 400 enterprises to convert their industrial production lines to climate-friendly options and supports the member states with its technical expertise and best practices from its projects around the world.

UNIDO is one of the four implementing agencies of the Montreal Protocol and is at the forefront of climate action. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which came into force in 2019, aims to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), another group of powerful greenhouse gases that replaced CFC. HFCs do not damage the ozone layer, but contribute to global warming. It is estimated that a successful implementation of the Kigali Amendment along with energy efficiency measures will lead to avoiding up to 10 C of global warming by 2100.

© Image by Freepik

 

Explore UNIDO’s work under Montreal Protocol: www.unido.org/MontrealProtocol

Read about UNIDO-Montreal Protocol success stories

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Passenger vehicles are defined as 2-axle 4-tire vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, pickup trucks, and sport/utility vehicles. In 2021, the weighted average combined fuel economy of cars and light trucks was 22.9 miles per gallon (FHWA 2023). The average vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2021 was 10,746 miles per year (FHWA 2023).