Singapore vows to phase out CFCs
Singapore vows to phase out CFCs
SINGAPORE (AFP): Singapore, which aims to become a model green city by the turn of the century, pledged yesterday to phase out ozone-depleting chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) by 1996.
CFCs are chlorine and bromine compounds which are widely used in refrigerators, air conditioners and aerosol sprays, and are blamed for depleting the earth's protective ozone layer.
Singapore, which acceded in 1989 to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, has reduced its consumption of CFCs to about 20 percent of the level in the 1986 base year, the ministry of environment said.
"Singapore ... is ready to phase out CFCs by 1996," the ministry said, adding that it would continue to implement policies to control other ozone-depleting substances according to the Montreal Protocol schedule.
"As a responsible member of the global community, Singapore will continue to do her part to protect the ozone layer," the ministry said in a statement.
The pledge came on the eve of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer designated by the United Nations, commemorating the date on which the protocol was signed.
The pact is aimed at the global protection of the stratospheric ozone layer, the decline of which has been blamed for more incidence of cancer among humans and for reducing crop yields.
Scientists say that the layer screens out the sun's ultra- violet rays, which can cause skin cancer and eye cataracts.
Singapore, which boasts impressive environmental achievements in the face of rapid economic growth, has implemented policies to curb the use of controlled substances in applications where substitutes are available.
The city-state has prohibited the import and manufacture of non-pharmaceutical aerosols that contain controlled CFCs and their use in new air conditioners and refrigerators.
Besides regulatory measures, it offers financial and technical assistance to help local companies switch to non-ozone-depleting alternatives.