Local company to phase out use of ozone-depleting gases

AMMAN — A local cooling and air conditioning company will phase out use of ozone-depleting gases in its production process under an agreement signed with the Environment Ministry on Tuesday.

The deal is part of a $5-million grant from the Montréal Fund to Jordan to support its efforts in phasing out harmful gases and introducing environment-friendly refrigerant gases.

Under the agreement, the production of air conditioners and central cooling systems manufactured by the company will be replaced with environment-friendly materials and technologies.

The agreement was signed during a ceremony organised by the ministry to mark the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, celebrated annually on September 16. 

The theme for this year is “Ozone Layer Protection: The Mission Goes On.”

Environment Minister Taher Shakhshir noted that the ministry has signed two similar agreements with local companies in the cooling and refrigerator sector to phase out the use of ozone-depleting chemicals.

Unofficial figures indicate that 95 per cent of companies in the cooling industry in Jordan use harmful chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Shakhshir explained that manufacturing environment-friendly cooling units and systems increases the companies’ competiveness in local and international markets, highlighting that it also increases energy efficiency and reduces the electricity bill.

In May 2012, the ministry announced that the Kingdom has phased out all central cooling systems using CFCs, which damage the ozone layer. The country’s goal to dispose of 1,500 tonnes of the harmful substances was achieved one year ahead of schedule.

CFCs damage the ozone layer by reducing its ability to absorb ultraviolet rays and allowing them to penetrate into the atmosphere, thus threatening life on Earth, according to experts.

The ministry is currently working to phase out hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which also cause ozone depletion.

There are around 1,600 institutions in Jordan with central cooling systems that use HCFCs, which are compounds made up of hydrogen, chlorine, fluorine and carbon atoms that were created in the 1980s as substitutes for CFCs for use in refrigeration and a wide variety of manufacturing processes.

With 75 per cent of refrigerants being released into the atmosphere and causing depletion of the ozone layer, environmentalists and researchers have called for strengthening laws that govern the import, export and use of ozone-depleting chemicals.

Scientists estimate that a 1 per cent decrease in the ozone layer's thickness would lead to a 1.3 per cent increase in the volume of ultraviolet rays reaching the Earth, an increase which they say poses serious consequences for human beings, fauna and flora.