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SINGAPORE—Alarmed
by the growing illegal trade in ozone-depleting
substances (ODS) and hazardous waste, the United Nations
Environment Programme (Unep) said Asia-Pacific countries
should immediately take the initiative to curb these
chemicals that damage the ozone layer, crucial to
protecting the Earth from damaging ultraviolet rays from
the sun.
“Ozone-layer protection remains to be a relevant issue
in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Thanavat Junchaya,
Unep’s Asia-Pacific coordinator on chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs). “Failure to act now would delay or could even
prevent the recovery of the ozone layer.”
Illegal
trade in CFCs and other ODS, including such products as
automobile refrigerants, fire suppressants and
industrial solvents, represent nearly 10 percent to 20
percent of all trade in ODS. The CFCs alone account for
7,000 to 14,000 tons of this trade, valued at $25
million to $60 million, according to the Unep.
“Ozone-depleting substances are still being used and can
only be phased out in 2030, and nearly 49 tons of these
illegal chemicals were seized from some countries,”
Junchaya told the Business and Environment Forum for
Journalists in Singapore.
Junchaya
said full recovery of the ozone layer is expected by
2050.
A study
released by Unep on Monday showed a large discrepancy in
the official import and export figures between trading
countries in Asia-Pacific.
The
study found that 55 percent of these goods are
unaccounted for—illegally exported or there is no record
of these imports.
“In some
cases, these discrepancies actually correspond to the
use of these goods in the market. Clearly the problem is
bigger than anyone thought before and action had to be
taken,” said Rajedre Shende, chief of Unep’s OzonAction.
Some of
the key findings of the Unep report found that China,
India and South Korea accounted for 70 percent of the
global production of CFCs.
Motives
for smuggling of ODS are restricted legal supply through
licensed importers, high tax on ODS, high residual
demand to service existing refrigeration and
air-conditioning equipment, lax control by the Customs
and the low penalty if caught or prosecuted.
Last
year, up to 64.8 tons of illegal ODS were recorded in
China, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the
Philippines following the start of Project Skyhole
Patching, an initiative launched in 2006 by China
Customs, coordinated by Unep and operated by related
Customs administrations and international organizations
in the Asia-Pacific.
Increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation due to
depleted ozone is set to cause around 90 million
additional cases of skin cancer by 2060 and 25
additional cases of cataracts by 2050.
The Unep
study is aimed at helping governments, customs officers
and national ozone offices understand the magnitude of
illegal trade in CFCs and other ozone-depleting
substances. |
