Fadley Faisal
Brunei Darussalam has achieved 61.8 per cent of the baseline towards ratifying the Montreal Protocol and is believed to be able to reach 67.5 per cent by 2025.
Permanent Secretary (Planning, Land Use and Environment) at the Ministry of Development Dr Nor Imtihan binti Haji Abdul Razak said this in congratulating the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe) while officiating the World Ozone Day 2022 commemoration at the Times Square Shopping Centre yesterday.
World Ozone Day is celebrated globally since it was first proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly as the international day for the preservation of the ozone layer and in commemorating the signing of the Montreal Protocol on September 16, 1987.
The department said it has become a platform which highlights the need to act in collaboration, forge partnerships and develop global cooperation in ozone protection while simultaneously addressing climate challenges to protect life on earth for future generations.
JASTRe Director Hajah Martinah binti Haji Tamit said the annual commemoration is not in vain, as 99 per cent of ozone depleting substances (ODS) usage has been eliminated and the ozone layer is forecast to recover by 2060. The director added that since 2010, Brunei has totally eliminated the use of CFCs.
Dr Nor Imtihan said this year’s theme ‘Montreal Protocol@35: Global Cooperation Protecting Life on Earth’, with the slogan ‘Ozone for All’, reflects the collective obligation of member states to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol to ensure that the ozone layer is restored and protected from the threat of ODS.
The permanent secretary also highlighted that the Montreal Protocol found that the alternative replacing ODS is a gas with high global warming potential (GWP), which can cause negative impacts on the climate.
Through the Kigali Amendment introduced and enforced since 2019, there has been a transition to a new alternative Low GWP gas.
With this, JASTRe published a guideline handbook on safety measures as the gas is flammable.
The guideline contains best practices for handling and management of flammable gases, with Brunei the first country in Southeast Asia to produce a guideline handbook.
Dr Nor Imtihan also said a number of activities are lined up by the department to celebrate this year’s World Ozone Day.
One is a roadshow at the Times Square Shopping Centre to promote awareness on the ozone layer protection, where efforts, programmes and services related to the protection on the ozone layer can be seen through initiatives from government agencies and private companies.
The event continued with the officiation of the roadshow with the slogan ‘Ozone for All’ and the launch of the Guideline for Safe Handling of Low-GWP (Flammable) Refrigerants handbook.
The event continued with a prize presentation to the winners of ‘Asia-Pacific Regional Ozone2Climate’ art contest. The competition was divided into two main categories – Youth Category (15 years below) and General Category (15 years above).
There are two subcategories under Youth Category namely Drawing and Graphic Design.
For General Category, there are three subcategories – Drawing, Graphic Design and Photography.
The Drawing category was awarded to Muhammad Hanis bin Zaini while the Graphic Design category went to Nurulain binti Rosli.
The permanent secretary toured the exhibition area including an art gallery and exhibition by participating government agencies and companies.
Also present was Deputy Permanent Secretary (Corporate and Law) Aldila binti Haji Mohamad Salleh, heads of departments, seniors officers of Royal Customs and Excise Department, Fire and Rescue Department, Department of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Development.
The roadshow is open to public until today, 10am to 10pm at Ground Floor, Atrium Area, Times Square Shopping Centre.
