Ozone Day Celebrated With Song and Various Activities Globally
Children from Ford Primary School and members of South Devon Singers in the United Kingdom perform the “Ozone Song” in front of the National Marine Aquarium, the UK’s biggest aquarium. Photo credit: National Marine Aquarium
Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer celebrated in style the 2015 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on 16 September by playing and singing the "Ozone Song" and conducting various activities.
Performers of the song, a musical animation, included children from Ford Primary School and members of South Devon Singers in the United Kingdom, who sang it in front of the National Marine Aquarium, the UK's biggest aquarium, as the audience sang along.
The Central Jazz East Africa band also performed the song at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya.
Parties across the world celebrated the day together with the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer under the theme "30 years of healing the ozone together," supported by the slogan, "Ozone: All there is between you and UV."
Parties organized award ceremonies to recognize individuals and organizations for their efforts in the protection of the ozone layer, art competitions among students, musical events, seminars, lectures, training workshops and panel discussions on radio and television stations, among other activities to commemorate the day.
Ozone success and the work ahead
In his message for the day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded the achievements made by the nations of the world over the last three decades of ozone protection. "Together, we have succeeded in putting the stratospheric ozone layer on the road to recovery by the middle of this century," Mr. Ban said.
He noted that the work of the Montreal Protocol is not yet done. "Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have been used as replacements for many ozone-depleting substances. While they do not deplete the ozone layer, they are extremely potent greenhouse gases and will contribute a great deal of warming to our already overheated planet in the coming decades unless we act now," he observed.
"Many countries are now considering using the Montreal Protocol regime to phase down HFCs. A political commitment to managing HFCs under the Montreal Protocol could be one of the biggest climate change wins in the lead-up to the Paris climate conference. It will also be another strong victory for multilateral efforts to safeguard our environment. On this International Day, let us ensure that we protect our climate the way we have preserved the ozone layer," Mr. Ban urged.
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, "International Ozone Day is a moment where every citizen on this planet has a reason to celebrate and perhaps also a moment to think about how we can make sure that these successes in international cooperation continue into the future."
Secretariat participates in celebrations
The Ozone Secretariat participated in two-day Ozone Day celebrations in China, where an international seminar on green cooling and heating technologies, energy efficiency and emission reduction and a high-level commemoration event took place.
Representatives from China's production and consumption sectors launched a low-carbon initiative during the celebrations attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, domestic ministries, local environmental protection bureaus, industry associations, research institutions and the business community, as well as international organizations and bilateral agencies.
The Secretariat also organized the musical performance by the Central Jazz East Africa band, which attracted staff and visitors at the United Nations Office at Nairobi.
Share information material on celebrations
The Ozone Secretariat invites Montreal Protocol parties to share any reports, pictures, videos and other information material of activities related to their celebrations of the 30thanniversary of the Vienna Convention and the 2015 International Ozone Day.
Kindly send them to email@example.com for wider dissemination on the Secretariat's website.
Click here for material and reports from various parties.