World Clean Up Day and World Ozone Day commemorated in Port Vila

The World Clean Up Day and World Ozone Day were commemorated in Port Vila on September 16, 2021 at Saralana Park.

Activities involved joint awareness campaign by departments under the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation (MoCCA), to the people of Penama Province during the Penama Day Celebration in Port Vila.

Led by the Department of Environment, other departments involved included the Department of Climate Change and the Climate Division under the Department of Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards.

A locally-owned entity, Mamma’s Life Vanuatu, which creates environmentally friendly products, also show-cased its products in a booth inside the Department of Environment’s tent.

First Political Adviser to the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation, Mr Charles Lini, gave the official address for the World Clean-up Day and World Ozone Day, on behalf of Director General, Esline Garaebiti Bule, who was on official duty on Ambae where the Council of Ministers met.

Mr Lini said all over the world, September 16 is celebrated annually to remember all the collaborations and efforts to; keep villages, communities, cities and the planet clean; and save the ozone layer and apply mitigation measures to minimize the impacts of climate change on the natural environment.

The World Clean Up Day national theme, since last year, has been; ‘Klin Vanuatu: Respektem Man, Respektem Envaeromen’ (Clean Vanuatu: Respect Humans, Respect the Environment).

The International Ozone Day theme for 2021 is, ‘Keeping Us, Our Food and Vaccines Cool’.

The United Nations General Assembly designated September 16 on December 19, 2000, as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

This designation was made in commemoration of the date, in 1987, on which nations signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

Lini stated: “Towards efforts to keep our environment clean, the Government through the Department of Environmental Protection & Conservation has started banning the use of single-use plastics – which are considered as one of the major item of concern now, globally, due to findings of plastic garbage patches in our planet’s oceans and the impact of this on the animals and plants that depend on our oceans for their livelihood.

“There are many efforts now globally to combat the use and disposal of plastic and Vanuatu is the first in the Pacific to ban single use plastic bags, straws, styrofoam food containers, plastic mesh net, plastic plates, cups, spoons, forks, knives, artificial flower, plastic egg tray and plastic stirrer.  Vanuatu will soon be regulating the use of disposable diapers.

“Our oceans are becoming polluted with plastic so as you watch educational videos on plastic ocean at our awareness booth today, we hope it will move you to think seriously to start taking action about how you use plastics and how you dispose plastic.

“The Ministry of Climate Change and Adaptation would like to encourage you to Reduce the use of plastics by using an alternative to plastic, for example, use a bag that can be used again and again when shopping, re-use plastics by using the used plastic to do something useful with it, for example, plant flowers or vegetables in plastic bottles and Recycle by collecting plastic bottles and taking them to a recycling place for export if there is one.

“In addition, the MoCCA encourages us all to segregate or separate rubbish in this way reusable items may be identified and recycled.

“Some tins like coca cola and sprite drinks, used lead acid batteries, scrap iron, wine bottles, these can be taken to Recycle Corp at Bladiniere for recycling.

“Do not mix organic waste such as leaves, branches, kitchen waste with other rubbish.

“Lastly, do not burn rubbish mixed with plastics. When plastic is burnt, it gives off harmful gases. The gases can cause health problems,” the First Political Adviser to the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation said.

He continued that Vanuatu recognized the importance of protecting the Ozone Layer in 1994 by becoming a member to the Vienna Convention.

“The ozone layer acts as a blanket that traps harmful radiation and prevents it from reaching the earth’s surface and impacting human life.

“Over the years, as we continue to develop – our industrial activities have released Ozone depleting substances or gases that have contributed to depleting or damaging our ozone layer resulting in global warming (Green House Gas effect) and further climate change as we all know today.

“Common appliances that use ozone depleting substances – also referred to as refrigerants are refrigerators and air conditioners,” Lini said.

Vanuatu has started work on controlling the importation and handling of Ozone depleting substances since 2019, through the implementation of the Ozone Layer Protection Act No. 22 of 2019.

The new Ozone Layer Protection Act and its new regulation now includes the Kigali Amendment.

Vanuatu is the first Pacific island country to have included the Kigali amendment in the Ozone Layer Protection Act.

The Kigali amendment is the amendment to the Montreal Protocol to include refrigerants that contribute to Global warming and hence climate Change.

The refrigerants are called Hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs.

The Ozone Layer Protection regulation now includes an import permit for importers of these refrigerants and the equipment which contain them.

The day also saw the launch of a new song called the ‘Environmental Protection Song’, presented by local music artists Kyman Jeh and Milly.