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The Sultanate of Oman joined other countries in the world to observe International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
The day which falls on September 16 every year encourages all nations to pay attention to environmental protection in order to preserve our ozone layer, which serves as a kind of shield for the planet and is essential for preserving its ecology.
In order to conserve the ozone layer, governments from 46 nations around the world signed the "Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer", also known as the "Montreal Protocol", in 1987.
Scientists have noted the first indications of potential repair in the Antarctic ozone layer. By 2070, the ozone hole is expected to be smaller than it was in 1980 as fluorocarbons CFCs (CFCs) in the upper atmosphere steadily decline.
The Sultanate of Oman is one of the leading countries in dealing with all issues related to the environment and climate, and it is keen on supporting international solidarity to address the problem of climate change and its negative effects.
In fact, Oman has ratified the international conventions related to climate issues -- the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and its amendments in London and Copenhagen on September 28, 1998 under Royal Decree 73/98..
In accordance with UN Sustainable Development Goal 13, which urges action to combat climate change and its impacts, Oman has started implementing the National Strategy for Adaptation and Mitigation of Climate Change to address the negative effects of global warming.
According to Dr Nasser bin Rashid al Maawali, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, Oman has made significant progress in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and objectives since the Sultanate of Oman submitted its first voluntary report to the UN in 2019.
“Oman is keen to translate its international commitment to achieving these goals by 2030 by integrating sustainable development goals into various national policies, initiatives and programmes,” he told a gathering on Monday last.
The country has been keen on playing its role in the protection of the ozone layer and on meeting the requirements of abiding by the Protocol for the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances permanently, while avoiding the impact on economic development by allowing companies to encourage alternatives to ozone-depleting substances in their various projects.
Oman has developed a national strategy for adaptation and mitigation to climate change 2020-2040 to accelerate climate actions' pace and scale. The strategic context for adaptation is rooted in its ineluctable exposure to intensifying tropical cyclones, increasing temperatures, and rising sea levels.
According to research, the most significant destroyers of the ozone layer, man-made CFCs, are abundant in the refrigeration systems, flame retardants, solvents, and foaming agents that people frequently use.
The Sultanate of Oman has been successful in the protection of the ozone layer as it has pioneered the reduction of the consumption of the most important ozone-depleting substances, such as CFCs, halons and methyl bromide, where consumption rates have been reduced to zero or below the levels required by the Montreal Protocol in a short time.
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