The statement was made by Deputy Director of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's Department of Hydro-Meteorological and Climate Change, Nguyen Khac Hieu at a ceremony to celebrate the International Ozone Day yesterday.
The Montreal Protocol on the preservation of the ozone layer, of which Viet Nam has been a party since 1994, requires every country to meet the HCFC phase-out obligations by 2030.
The implementation of the Montreal Protocol over the last 24 years has brought the complete phase-out of global manufacturing and use of a set of substances recognised as the most pernicious for ozone layer, including halons, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), carbon tetrachloride (CTCs) and now HCFCs are next to go on the list of some 100 ozone-depleting substances.
In Viet Nam, HCFCs are widely used in air conditioning, insulating foams and industrial refrigeration plant applications. Last year, Viet Nam used up about 3,700 tonnes of HCFCs, which is equivalent to 235 tonnes of the compound that has the maximum potential degradation to the ozone layer.
Hieu announced that the proposal of "National HCFC Phase-Out Management Plan" for Viet Nam has been approved by the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol for the period 2012-16. During this time phase, Viet Nam would receive a financial aid of US$10 million.
The main component of the project in the first phase would be to eradicate 500 tonnes of HCFC-141b and nearly 2,000 tonnes of polyol containing HCFC-141b in 12 enterprises that produce insulating foams. The use of HCFC-141b in the production line would be supplanted with cyclopentane, a compound which is neither a threat to the ozone layer nor a global warming gas.
"The financial aid will cover 80 per cent of the expenditures, the enterprises have to contribute the remaining," Hieu said.
Another component would be to reduce the consumption of HCFC-22, a refrigerant widely used in the seafood processing industry as well as the new instalment of HCFC-22-based refrigerators.
The Department of Hydro-Meteorological and Climate Change with the World Bank will compile the new plan for the next phase and start fund-raising activities from 2015. It is estimated that Viet Nam will need an additional amount of $20 to $25 million to achieve complete HCFCs phase-out.
Hieu said the development of alternatives for HCFCs was still under way and had already reaped some results. More time, nonetheless, was needed to optimise these alternatives to prepare for a wider scale of adoption. Luong Duc Khoa, the department's ozone programme co-ordinator, said: "We have to be very clear that there is no perfect alternative and there will never be."
"For example, one approach, which is already in practice, is to replace HCFCs with HFCs, compounds which are proved to pose no major threat to the ozone layer. Ironically, they are nearly one thousand times more potent than carbon dioxide in causing global warming," he elaborated.
"The real question here is whether the trade-offs are worth making," Khoa concluded.
Without the Montreal Protocol, the world would have had to see an addition of 20 million cases of skin cancer and 130 million more cases of eye cataracts relative to 1980.
VNS
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment