KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has successfully reduced its consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) by 70 per cent in 2023, surpassing the target of 42.9 per cent.
This achievement stems from Malaysia’s ratification of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer on Aug 29, 1989.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) Minister, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the government has taken various initiatives to reduce ODS consumption, including banning the import of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halon, and carbon tetrachloride (CTC) and introducing hydro-chloro-fluoro-carbons (HCFCs) as substitutes for CFCs in refrigeration, air-conditioning and foam industries.
“However, due their to the ozone-depleting potential, global efforts under the Montreal Protocol are now focused on phasing out HCFCs to eliminate them by 2030,” he said at the launch ceremony for the national celebration of the World Ozone Day 2024, held in conjunction with the International Greentech and Eco Products Exhibition and Conference Malaysia (IGEM), here, today.
Nik Nazmi added that, to further protect the ozone layer, the Cabinet also approved plans and strategies to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Kigali Implementation Plan (KIP) on Jan 31, this year, in line with its shift to using zero-ozone depletion potential (ODP) and low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants and gradually phasing out HCFCs while reducing HFCs.
“The first stage of KIP implementation started this year with the target to reduce the consumption of HFC by 10 per cent of the baseline by 2029,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to Environment Department director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar, the HCFC Phase-Out Management Plan (HPMP) Stage III will be implemented this year, aiming to phase out all HCFC consumption in Malaysia by 2030, except for a 2.5 per cent allowance for servicing until 2040.
“HPMP Stage III will be the final phase of the HPMP and will ensure a sustainable phase out of HCFC in Malaysia, particularly in the refrigeration and air conditioning servicing sector.
“The key components of HPMP III will focus on improved servicing practices, enhanced training for technicians and enforcement officers, promoting the recovery and reclamation of refrigerants, strengthening policies and regulations, increasing public awareness and adopting low global warming potential alternatives,” he said.
Wan Abdul Latiff is confident that implementing HPMP III will create jobs in green technology and services, including upskilling technicians and enforcement officers, thereby promoting long-term economic growth.
Regarding IGEM, Nik Nazmi, who spoke to the media after officiating the event expressed his desire to see it grow by involving prominent figures in sustainability and environmental fields, taking advantage of Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship next year.
“This is my challenge to IGEM to seize the opportunity presented by the ASEAN chairmanship. With IGEM’s track record over the past 15 years, I am confident that this effort can be accomplished,” he said.
