Oman advancing climate action to protect the ozone layer

The Sultanate of Oman represented by the Environment Authority of Oman celebrates the international Ozone Day on September 16 annually. This year the theme of the celebration was “Advancing Climate Control” in protecting the climate under the Montreal Protocol and driving broader climate action initiatives worldwide. 

The Sultanate has implemented many policies, programmes, and control procedures to achieve compliance requirements by reducing and stopping the usage of most ozone depleting substances, such as the consumed quantity reached zero at the beginning of 2010 for halons and chlorofluorocarbons as well as methyl bromide from 2015.

In collaboration with the UN Environment Programme and the UN Industrial Development Organisation, the Sultanate of Oman has started implementation of the third phase of hydrofluorocarbons Phase Out Strategy Project. The project aims to implement several activities in the training and awareness field in line with the requirements of the Montreal Protocol during the next phase.

The nation’s environment authority is also reviewing and evaluating the licensing for ozone depleting substances and their alternatives in the custom declaration system. This is in cooperation with the General Directorate of Customs of the Royal Oman Police and involves the studying the approval of centres for recovery, recycling and reclamation of ozone depleting substances in Oman with cooperation of the different authorities. 

The issuing and reviewing of the professional technicians working in the refrigeration and the air conditioning sector is being done in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor keeping in mind the Montreal Protocol and the strategy project.

As for the hydrofluorocarbons, for which the Montreal Protocol has set up a gradual phasing out schedule, with limiting consumption starting in 2013 it is to end fully by the beginning of 2030 in line with the UN Charter.