By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The Lagos State Government and environmental experts have expressed commitments to efforts towards ensuring continuous phasing out of Ozone Depleting Substances, ODS.

ODS was said to have drastically helped in the healing of the Ozone layer and boosting energy efficiency in the cooling sector.

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The Permanent Secretary, Office of the Environmental Services, OES, Mrs. Belinda Odeneye, made the remarks at the webinar session themed: “Montreal Protocol; keeping us, our food and vaccines cool,” organised by the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, to mark the year 2021 International Ozone Day.

She noted that the Montreal protocol, started as a global agreement and has successfully helped in the healing of the Ozone layer, which in turn protects human health, ecosystems by limiting the harmful ultraviolet from reaching the Earth.

“The theme for this year is Montreal Protocol–keeping us, our food, and vaccines cool. The Montreal Protocol started as a global agreement to protect the ozone layer, a job it has done well, making it one of the most successful environmental agreements to date.

“A united global effort to phase out ozone-depleting substances means that today, the hole in the ozone layer is healing and in turn protecting human health, economies, and ecosystems. 

“But, as this year’s World Ozone Day seeks to highlight, the Montreal Protocol does so much more – such as slowing climate change and helping to boost energy efficiency in the cooling sector, which contributes to food security,”  Odeneye declared

She stated that the government would intensify its effort through a massive sensitization campaign and monitoring of the activities of the technicians and related associations in the cooling sectors to ensure the phasing out of Ozone-depleting substances.

The General Manager, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, stated that this year’s theme reiterates the commitments of the government to ensuring gradual phasing out of ODS, especially those used in the manufacturing of refrigerants.

Fasawe, further stressed the importance of the cooling sector, such as keeping the environment, food and medicine cool, listing its benefits to include: but not limited to; Health and well being in the built environment, workforce productivity by 15 percent, reduced food loss, and food waste, among others. 

She expressed the readiness of the agency to work with relevant stakeholders like: 
National Alliance of Research Associates Programs, NARAP, RADA, COPDAS, among others to embark on aggresive awareness campaigns to various refrigeration and air conditioning markets within the state to educate on the need to continually protect the Ozone layer.

“In ensuring the implementation of the Montreal Protocol, there is need for cooperation among relevant stakeholders to ensure that banned refrigerants and other ODS are not imported into the country,” she asserted.

The Senior Lecturer, Department of chemistry, University Ibadan, Dr. Gilbert Adie in his paper presentation at the session titled: ” Ozone layer depletion: The Milestones of Montreal protocol to restore the layer an  expectations of the cooling system sector,” stressed on the benefit of motreal protocol, which he said had helped to reduce the Ozone depletion that would have increased in tenfold by 2050 and resulted to millions of additional cases of cancers and other dangerous health issues.

Adie, therefore, advised the cooling sectors to avoid banned ODS and adhere strictly to guidelines and timelines for phasing out and down of refrigerants rich in ODS.

Also speaking at the session,  former Dean, School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Federal University of Technology Akure, Prof. M.A. Akintunde,  stressed the need to expedite action in reducing the release of ODS by embarking on a continuous training and sensitization of relevant technicians and practitioner on the need to ensure phasing it out to make the earth comfortable to human health and our ecosystem.

Other prominent personalities in attendance, were: Mr. Oluyomi Banjo an environmental expert from UNIDO, Chairman of NARAP, Pastor Gabriel Orenuga, Chairman Lawanson Refrigeration Association, Mr. Obinna Obichukwu as they took turns to give their goodwill messages where they reaffirmed their commitments to jointly work with the government in educating the public on the continuous need to protect Ozone layer from depleting substances.

Highlight from the webinar session was a talk and poem presentation by the students of the Birch Freeman High School and Eko Boys High School who discussed extensively the Ozone Layer Depletion and the preventive measures to be taken to reduce it.