Barbados to Celebrate World Ozone Day

September 16th has been designated as World Ozone Day by the United Nations

World Ozone Day will be celebrated on Saturday, September 16, and Barbados is one of 168 countries that have committed to eliminating the use of ozone-depleting substances.

These efforts first began with the establishment of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, an international agreement designed to protect the stratospheric ozone layer, which acts as a barrier between the earth and harmful, ultraviolet light from the sun.

Barbados signed the protocol in 1992, and, since then, has achieved a 50% reduction in the consumption of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) – gases that are harmful to the ozone layer and which were essential to the refrigeration and air-conditioning industries before the implementation of the protocol.

The island is expected to meet a target of reducing the use of ozone-depleting substances by 85%, by 2008. The target year for a complete phase-out of CFC's use is 2010.

With this target in mind, industry representatives formed the Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Association of Barbados.

It is hoped that the association will provide further local and international training and certification opportunities in the use of non-ozone depleting substances for technicians.