KUCHING: Every individual has an important role to play in the protection of the Earth’s ozone layer, says the Sarawak Department of Environment (DOE) director.
“The main enemy of the ozone layer is chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which are man-made gases…halogenated hydrocarbons that are very stable and can reach the ozone layer.
“This material will break down ozone molecules and produce chlorine,” explained Hamzah Mohamad.
“If the ozone layer is destroyed, many living things on Earth will become extinct, including human beings,” he said during the state-level World Ozone Day do on Zoom, on Tuesday (Sept 28).
He urged the public to minimise the use of materials that could pose further threats to the ozone layer.
“I would also like to call upon the public to participate in ozone layer protection awareness activities.”
In conjunction with World Ozone Day, Hamzah added that DoE had organised two activities — the Ozone For Life Virtual Run and Ops Gerak.
“The virtual run aims to promote environmental care through healthy activities.
“Ops Gerak, in collaboration with the authorities, is an operations conducted to ensure that vehicle exhaust emissions complied with the standard set under the Environmental Quality (Control of Emissions from Diesel Engines) Regulations 1996.”
He added that Ops Gerak is also aimed at creating awareness among vehicle owners to carry out regular maintenance of their vehicles.
World Ozone Day is observed every Sept 16. The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Montreal Protocol — Keeping Us, our Food and Vaccines Cool’, and it focuses on the role of the Montreal Protocol in curbing climate change and helping to increase energy efficiency in the refrigeration sector, which contributes to the security of the food sector.
Meanwhile, the event also saw the presentation of cash prizes to five winners of the ‘Love The Environment’ photo competition, 10 lucky draws for the virtual run participants, and a mystery draw for five participants, who attended the event virtually.
