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.