Bahrain to mark International Ozone Day

Manama, Sept.15 (BNA): Bahrain will join other nations in the world in marking the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, which falls on the 16th of September. His Majesty’s Personal Representative, Supreme Council for the Environment (SCE) President His Highness Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al-Khalifa paid tribute to HM King Hamd bin Isa Al-Khalifa, hailing royal keenness on promoting environmental issues. In a statement on the eve of the global event, he underlined Bahrain’s commitment to the Montreal Protocols on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. “Bahrain, which was among the first countries in the region to sign the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocols on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, will join tomorrow 197 states worldwide the mark the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer”, he said. He underlined ongoing efforts to implement more plans and programmes which aim at preserving the Ozone Layer, which shields the The Ozone layer or ozone the shields the Earth against ultraviolet radiation. HH Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al-Khalifa said that Bahrain has succeeded in complying with the requirements of the Montreal Protocol and the phase-out of the first group of ozone-depleting substances, On the 1st of January, 2010, Bahrain announced a ban on all Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which were replaced by other suitable alternative items. Bahrain has also launched a six-year strategy (2014-2020) targeting the Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are a large group of compounds, whose structure is very close to that of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). A string of industrial and service projects have since been set up to get rid of HCFC substances and replace them with environment-friendly ones.