HCFCs (hydro-chlorofluorcarbons) not only destroy the stratospheric ozone layer which is essential to life on Earth, but they are also greenhouse gases. The Maldives has now committed to phase-out the consumption of HCFCs, which are mainly used in the air conditioning in its nearly 100 tourist resorts spread over its more than 1,200 islands.
“We believe that going green isn’t just ecologically sound but also economically beneficial. The Maldives is famed for its luxury resorts, whose refrigeration systems are the source of most of the country’s HCFC emissions. Moving early to phase-out the use of HCFCs over the next decade, not only helps protect the beautiful tropical environment tourists come to see, but also positions Maldives as a strong eco-destination,” said President Mohamed Nasheed.
In 2007, the international community took an important step for an accelerated phase-out of HCFCs and President Nasheed has pledged to make the Maldives the world’s first carbon-neutral country by 2020, ten years ahead of the Montreal Protocol phase-out schedule. The recent Joint Declaration for the Implementation of the HCFC Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP) is one more step towards achieving this goal and the Maldives can now also boast having the world’s first national phase-out plan which specifically targets this group of chemicals.
“The Maldives has become the first country in the world to receive the funding from the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol for the country’s HPMP. This demonstrates to the world that Small Island States can also be at the frontline in the battle against climate change and the protection of the ozone layer,” said Ms. Maria Nolan, Chief Officer of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
High-level officials from the Maldives and the United Nations, along with high commissioners from India and various national stakeholders, during the recent meeting in Male discussed the mechanism and the way forward in expediting the implementation of the HCFC phase-out plan.
“This dialogue gave us the opportunity to brainstorm about the implementation mechanism, including the policy and legislations, private sector’s involvement, energy-efficiency benefits, as well as how to put the HCFC phase-out at an appropriate place in the carbon-neutrality policy of the Maldives,” said Mr. Javier Camago, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Multilateral Fund.
“The Montreal Protocol’s success has shown that we now know that together we can address climate challenges through technology support and capacity-building efforts. What we need now is leadership to get further climate benefits from the ozone layer protection. I am pleased that the Maldives is demonstrating that leadership role” said Mr. Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNEP.
In April, President Nasheed also brought the Maldives into the limelight once again when he was chosen as UNEP’s 2010 Champion of the Earth. President of the Maldives since 2008, he has received increasing global recognition for his efforts to curb climate change and raise awareness of environmental issues, particularly as it related to island-nations.
He featured prominently in the international media in the run-up to, and during, the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen in December. During that time, he even convened an underwater cabinet meeting on the ocean floor to highlight the grave climate change-related threats to the Maldives.
He has also warned that Maldivians may be forced to seek a new homeland should rising sea levels make the Maldivians’ archipelago uninhabitable. Moreover, he is campaigning for the protection of coral reefs that helped save his country from the devastating 2005 tsunami by absorbing the brunt of the powerful earthquake-triggered wave.
President Nasheed continues to urge various leaders from developing or vulnerable countries like the Maldives to break away from carbon-based growth and to embrace green technologies for a carbon neutral future.
Notes:
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP is the United Nations system’s designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of a number of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. The Treaty was opened for signature on 16 September 1987 and entered into force on 1 January 1989. Since then, it has undergone five revisions, in 1990 (London), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), and 1999 (Beijing). Due to its widespread adoption and implementation, it has been hailed as an example of exceptional international cooperation and perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date.
UNEP DTIE Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP)
As an Implementing Agency of the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol, since 1991 UNEP through its Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE) OzonAction Programme has been strengthening the capacity of governments, particularly National Ozone Units (NOUs) – and industry in developing countries to elaborate and enforce the policies required to implement the Protocol and make informed decisions about alternative technologies. The Protocol’s compliance regime requires countries to achieve and sustain compliance, promote a greater sense of country ownership and implement the agreed Executive Committee framework for strategic planning. UNEP strategically reoriented its approaches and delivery mechanisms in 2002 by creating a Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP), under which the majority of the CAP staff are based in UNEP’s Regional Offices, where they closely interact with countries to support and sustain compliance.
