“The Philippines has been doing its homework in the fight of global warming, but there remains much to be done”, according to Environment and Natural Resources Secretary, Ramon Paje.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has declared that it is pushing for an ozone friendly Philippines in an effort to fight global warming.
The DENR chief highlighted the milestones in the country’s commitment to reduce the use of substances that are harmful to the ozone layer, particularly the chloroflourocarbons or the CFCs.
According to the DENR Secretary, they have totally phaseout seven of the eight groups of ozone depleting substances (ODS), referring to hydrochloroflourocarbons (HCFCs) as the only remaining group and whose total phaseout is targeted by 2040.
Paje cited the country’s successful compliance with its targets since becoming one of the 196 signatory member countries of the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty that seeks to phaseout the production of substances believed responsible for depleting the ozone layer and which largely contributes to global warming.
The country also continues to allow the importation of methyl bromide but only for quarantine pre-shipment (QPS) purposes, the sole reason for its exemption from the phase out under the Montreal Protocol.
Other uses like agricultural fumigation use and pest management are already banned in other countries, including the Philippines.
