Friday, January 24 2020 11:29

ArmInfo.In Armenia, it will be prohibited to produce substances that contribute to the  destruction of the ozone layer. At its January 24 sitting, the RA  National Assembly amended the law "On Substances that Deplete the  Ozone Layer" and related laws.

 According to Deputy Minister of the  Environment Irina Kaplanyan, the import of ozone-depleting materials  from those countries will be banned who have not signed the relevant  Montreal and Vienna Conventions.  The export of such materials will  also be banned in these countries, and the transit of ozone-depleting  substances through the territory of Armenia will also be banned.  "This legislative package, in fact, regulates the restrictions on the  production, import, export and transit of ozone-depleting  substances," Kaplanyan explained, adding that the package provides  for liability for failure to comply with the requirements of the  package of laws.

The Deputy Minister recalled that on March 27 last year, Armenia  ratified the amended agreement to the Montreal Protocol on Substances  that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The agreement was signed in the capital  of Rwanda, Kigali, on October 15, 2016, and the package submitted is  fully consistent with the specified international documents.

It should be noted that in March last year, the deputy minister noted  that since 1990, Armenia has chosen the path to maintain the ozone  layer and reduce emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere.  This path is not only due to the high-mountainous nature of the  republic, which leads to increased ultraviolet rays, but also the  global challenges that mankind has faced in connection with climate  change. In 2010, the republic fully complied with its obligations  under the first phase of the program, under which emissions of  fluorine and chlorine hydrocarbons were significantly reduced. At  present, Irina Kaplanyan continued, the second stage of the program  continues, under which it is planned to completely abandon the use of  hydrofluorocarbons. Moreover, the second phase of the program is  being implemented at a faster pace.  Irina Kapalanyan emphasized that  the agreement signed by 197 countries of the world in Kigali is the  fifth in a row under the Montreal Protocol. It is envisaged that as a  result of its application in the world, emissions of 105 million tons  of harmful substances will be reduced. It is planned that before 2100  the air temperature in the world will drop by 0.4%. For Armenia,  which is a developing state, the terms for implementing the  provisions of the document are also set: by 2014, the republic should  reduce emissions by 10%, by 2035 - by 30%, by 2040 - by 50% and by  2045 - by 80%.

Recall that in the capital of Rwanda, Kigali, representatives of 197  states that signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete  the Ozone Layer agreed to limit the production and emissions of  greenhouse gases, in particular hydrofluorocarbons. Used mainly in  refrigeration equipment and air conditioners, these gases are much  more dangerous for the ozone layer of the earth than the same carbon  dioxide. The first in 2019 to introduce restrictions is the United  States - the second largest state in the world in terms of emissions  of pollutants into the atmosphere. From 2024, China, the leader in  the pollution of the planet, will begin to take measures. Countries  hope they can reduce global warming by half a degree Celsius. The  deal, which involves the two largest economies in the world - the  United States and China, divides the countries into three groups with  different terms, during which they should reduce the use of  hydrofluorocarbons, the greenhouse effect of which is 10 thousand  times stronger than that of carbon dioxide. Under the agreement,  developed countries, including a large part of Europe and the United  States, commit themselves to gradually reduce the use of  hydrofluorocarbons, starting from a 10 percent decline by 2019, and  by 85% by 2036. Two more groups of developed countries will stop  increasing the use of hydrofluorocarbons by 2024 and 2028, and then  will gradually reduce it. The deal, which was joined by 197  countries, crowned a series of measures aimed at combating climate  change. In early October, the Paris Climate Agreement, concluded in  2015, crossed the important threshold of ratification thanks to  support from India, Canada and the European Parliament.