IGSD Press Release

[ozone...@gmail.com]

Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development
USA honors climate achievements of the Montreal Protocol
USEPA Climate Protection Awards recognize successful environmental
treaty
Washington D.C., 21 April 2009 - The United States Environmental
Protection Agency has recognized the extraordinary climate benefits
achieved by the successful implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
The prestigious US EPA's Climate Protection awards are being presented
today in Washington D.C. to individuals and organizations for their
extraordinary and dedicated work in climate protection - a number of
which are receiving awards for their work in deriving climate benefits
from ozone layer protection activities under the Montreal Protocol.
Award winners include managers and staff of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) involved in treaty-related compliance and
clearinghouse services for developing countries. Rajendra Shende, who
heads the UNEP DTIE OzonAction Branch earned his award for helping 145
developing countries through networking activities to comply with the
Montreal Protocol. USEPA praised Mr. Shende's longstanding efforts
through UNEP's programme to advocate the deployment of policies that
simultaneously protect the ozone layer and reduce climate change and
the technologies that use low- or no-GWP refrigerants and improve
energy efficiency in refrigeration and air conditioning in buildings
and in home appliances.
OzonAction's Samira De Gobert earned her award by demonstrating
exceptional skills in conceiving and implementing Ozone Layer
Protection Communication Strategies among large and small developing
countries on Ozone Layer Protection through innovative use of
electronic media.
Mr. Shende became the second expert from UNEP to win a Climate
Protection award from USEPA. Mr. Marco Gonzales , Executive Secretary
of the Ozone Secretariat won the first award in 2008 for his
leadership in facilitating the historic agreement accelerating the
HCFC phase-out in 2007.
Mrs. De Gobert became the third expert from UNEP to win a
Stratospheric Ozone Protection award from USEPA . Atul Bagai and James
Curlin, respectively UNEP's Regional Officer for Asia and the Pacific
and UNEP DTIE, both won awards for their work related to helping
developing countries achieve and sustain compliance with the Montreal
Protocol.
2300 Wisconsin Ave. NW * Suite 300‐B * Washington DC * 20007
ph: 202 338 1300 fax: 202 338 1810 email: in...@igsd.org

"The Montreal Protocol is the world's best environment treaty, having
phased out nearly one hundred ozone-damaging chemicals by 97%," said
Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance &
Sustainable Development. "At the same time, it has made a major
contribution to climate protection, as the same ozone-destroying
gasses also are climate-warming gasses. Much of the Montreal
Protocol's success goes to UNEP, which has brilliantly managed the
twin challenges to the ozone layer and the climate system. The Planet
owes them a great debt of gratitude."
These awards demonstrate how much the World values UNEP's efforts to
provide policymakers and the business community with the scientific
and technological base for sound decision making.
"These awards to Rajendra Shende and Samira De Gobert are sending
strong messages that the developing and developed world stand to
benefit much more by strategic implementation of the HCFC
(hydrochlorofluorocarbons) phaseout," said Dr. Stephen O. Andersen,
Director, Strategic Climate Projects of USEPA. "With the help of UNEP,
companies will want to avoid the choice of high-GWP HFCs that are
controlled by the Kyoto Protocol."
###
Note to press:
1. The Montreal Protocol is recognized as the most successful
international environmental treaty by any standard. What is less known
is the fact that the Montreal Protocol has also provided substantial
global warming reduction benefits because ozone depleting chemicals
like CFCs and HCFCs are also greenhouse gases..
2. The world wide efforts to protect the stratospheric ozone layer
were formalized through an international treaty agreed in 1987 by
signing of the Montreal Protocol on the Substances that Deplete the
Ozone layer. The treaty is bearing fruits. Scientists report that the
chemicals that have been destroying the ozone layer are now "at or
near peak," and could begin to dissipate slowly -- if nations stay the
course. The participation in the efforts is near universal-today there
are 191 countries out of 193 have ratified the Protocol.
3. A record-breaking funding mechanism known as the Multilateral Fund
for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol assists developing
countries on this single global environmental issue and has been
working effectively for the last 18 years. Through the Fund, more than
US$2.5 billion have been disbursed to 147 developing countries to
enable them to comply with the Montreal Protocol. Another US$ 200
million have been allotted by the Global Environmental Facility to
Countries with Economies in Transition to achieve the Protocol
targets.
4. The Protocol has resulted in significant net benefits for human
health, fisheries, and agriculture and building materials.
Technological innovation driven by the Protocol is creating additional
economic and environmental benefits. By implementing this treaty
alone, the world is avoiding 1.5 million cases of skin cancer, 330,000
deaths due to skin cancer and 129 million cases of cataracts. Benefits
to agricultural production are estimated to be about US$ 190 billion
by 2060. Total global economic benefits are estimated to be US$ 459
billion as compared to the
2300 Wisconsin Ave. NW * Suite 300‐B * Washington DC * 20007
ph: 202 338 1300 fax: 202 338 1810 email: in...@igsd.org

cost of implementation of US$ 235 billion - a significant net economic
benefit.
5. Recent study has shown that the Protocol has also resulted in
extraordinary climate benefits. As ozone-depleting substances are also
powerful greenhouse gases, their elimination has delayed the adverse
impacts of climate change by nearly 12 years.
6. THE DUAL BENEFITS OF THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL
Over the last 20 years, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that
Deplete the Ozone Layer has eliminated the production and consumption
of more than 95% of the historic levels of ozone-depleting substances.
Many ozone-depleting substances are potent greenhouse gases; thus, the
implementation of the Montreal Protocol is reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by an estimated 11 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2)-
equivalent per year between 1990 and 2010 for a total net reduction of
135 billion tonnes. As a result, the climate benefits achieved by the
Montreal Protocol are five to six times greater than the current
reduction target (2008-2012) of the Kyoto Protocol - assuming full
compliance with that agreement.
Parties to the Montreal Protocol have recently embraced their role in
combating climate change. Their efforts began in September 2007, when
the Parties agreed to accelerate the phase-out of
hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) while keeping in mind energy
efficiency and climate change objectives. In November 2008 the Parties
continued their climate efforts by:
*
providing U.S. $490 million over three years to assist developing
countries meet their mandatory commitments to phase out of HCFCs to
protect the ozone layer and the climate system;
*
launching pilot projects to collect and destroy stockpiles of unwanted
chemicals that leak into the atmosphere and contribute to ozone
depletion and climate change, with the goal of preventing the 6
billion tonnes of CO2-eq. that otherwise will be emitted from these
sources by 2015; and
*
opening discussions on ways to support reductions in
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of chemicals currently controlled
under the Kyoto Protocol.
7. CLIMATE BENEFITS OF THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL
The substantial climate benefits of the Montreal Protocol have
resulted in the international community recognizing that an effective
climate change mitigation strategy must look beyond CO2. The Parties
to the Montreal Protocol have recently enhanced their focus on the
climate mitigation potential of this treaty while continuing to
recognize that more needs to be done to repair the ozone layer.
Phase-out of HCFCs
The U.S. EPA estimates that, through 2040, the HCFC agreement could
reduce emissions by up to 16 billion metric tonnes of CO2-equivalent
depending on the success of governments encouraging new ozone and
climate-friendly alternatives. Annually, the accelerated phase-out of
HCFCs could result in a reduction of more than 3.5% of all the world's
current greenhouse gas emissions.
2300 Wisconsin Ave. NW * Suite 300‐B * Washington DC * 20007
ph: 202 338 1300 fax: 202 338 1810 email: in...@igsd.org

2300 Wisconsin Ave. NW * Suite 300‐B * Washington DC * 20007
ph: 202 338 1300 fax: 202 338 1810 email: in...@igsd.org
Energy Efficiency
In the process of converting from ozone-depleting substances, the
energy efficiency of refrigeration and air conditioning applications
has improved. For example, chillers today use 65% less energy than in
the 1970s. Clearly, this provides significant climate benefits due to
a decrease in emissions from fossil fuel use. In fact, many world
leaders have recognized that improving energy efficiency is the
fastest, most sustainable and cheapest way to reduce climate
emissions.
Collecting and Destroying Substances from Stockpiles and Discarded
Equipment
Destroying ozone-depleting substances from stockpiles and from
discarded products and equipment that are accessible could speed
recovery of the ozone layer by up to two years, and avoid up to six
billion tonnes or more of CO2-equivalent in climate emissions.
8. The OzonAction Programme of UNEP was launched in 1991, in UNEP
DTIE's Paris office with the overall objective of enabling compliance
by developing countries with the Montreal Protocol. With just a
handful of staff in the beginning, this integrated capacity building
programme evolved as it responded to the emerging needs of developing
countries and countries with economies in transition. It was
strategically reoriented and regionalized in 2001 as the Compliance
Assistance Programme. Since then, it has grown into a multi-location
global service provider supported by about 50 expert staff in UNEP's 5
Regional Offices and one partner organization, i.e. SPREP ( South
Pacific Regional Environment Programme). For more information see:
www.uneptie.org/ozonaction
9. As one of the four implementing agencies of the Multilateral Fund
for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, along with UNDP,
UNIDO and the World Bank, UNEP provides capacity building services
that assist developing countries and Countries with Economies in
Transition (CEITs) to achieve compliance with this MEA. Under
approach, international assistance is focused on strengthening
national capacity to meet compliance targets of the Montreal Protocol.
10. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established this
global awards program in 1990 to recognize exceptional leadership,
personal dedication, and technical achievements in eliminating ozone-
depleting substances and reducing green house gases.. The
Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award has been presented to 554
individuals and organizations from 46 countries and the Climate
Protection Award has been presented to 169 individuals and
organizations from 20 countries, so far. Originality and public
purpose, persuasive moral and/or organizational leadership are some of
the tough criteria used by past winners and other ozone experts, who
make recommendations to EPA. EPA makes the final selections of award
winners.
More information about past winner accomplishments is available online
at: www.epa.gov/cppd/climateawards.