Mark Vender
Australia has marked World Ozone Day with encouraging news about the shrinking bank of ozone-depleting refrigerants in the country. According to the Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC), ozone-depleting gases now make up less than 5 per cent of Australia’s refrigerant bank.
World Ozone Day on September 16 celebrates the anniversary of the Montreal Protocol. The theme for 2023 is “fixing the ozone layer and reducing climate change”.
The ARC has applauded the efforts of the industry in reaching this milestone in ozone protection.
ARC CEO Glenn Evans says removal of ozone-depleting substances from the refrigerant bank is a credit to Australia’s 100,000-plus ARCtick licensed technicians and businesses.
“This is a massive contribution to the future health of the planet – the living fulfilment of the Montreal Protocol,” he says.
“ARCtick licensed technicians protect the environment every day by preventing emissions of ozone-depleting substances and synthetic greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.”
The decrease in ozone-depleting substances in the refrigerant bank reflects the increasing destruction of gases such as R22.
More than 120 tonnes of R22 were recovered in 2020-21 and sent for destruction at the Refrigerant Reclaim Australia (RRA) plasma arc facility in Melbourne.
Evans says Australia’s achievements in this vital environmental area were built on the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989.
“These great achievements are built on long years of dedicated effort,” he says.
“Since Australia first banned chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in 1996, the climate control industry has moved on to eliminating hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) such as R22, and the achievements speak for themselves.”
Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash
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