Trinidad and Tobago National Ozone Officer, Dr. Marissa Gowrie awarded a prestigious United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Policy and Implementation Leadership Award

National Ozone Officer for Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Marissa Gowrie has been awarded a prestigious United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Policy and Implementation Leadership Award in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol.

Gowrie, Deputy Environmental Manager/National Ozone Officer at the Environmental Policy and Planning Division in the Planning and Development Ministry, was one of 15 recipients out of a total of 197 parties in the world to receive this ozone award. 

This Award recognizes extraordinary contributions from governments, party delegates, groups or individuals who work tirelessly in the development and implementation of the Montreal Protocol.  Dr. Gowrie for over ten years, been dedicated to the phasing out of ozone-depleting substances in this country and represented Trinidad and Tobago at ozone negotiations on the International Fora.

The Ozone Awards recognize the achievements of individuals, groups, and organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary commitment and contribution to the progress and achievements of the Montreal Protocol in the past 10 years. These individuals, groups and organizations also exemplify the power of cooperation on large and small scales to accomplish goals and produce tangible change.

The Vienna Convention, adopted in 1985, established a framework for measures to protect human health and the environment against adverse effects resulting from changes to the ozone layer.

In 1987, the protocol established a mechanism and deadlines for the controlled phasing-out of the global production and use of ozone-depleting substances such as the refrigerant HCFCs, the fumigant methyl bromide and the fire suppressant halon.

Government acceded to the Vienna Convention and its protocol in August 1989, the first to do so in the Caribbean region. In this regard, TT was obligated to implement all phase-out obligations under the protocol, for which Gowrie, through her work, has been recognized as a world leader in this regard.

It is also noteworthy to mention that Ms. Artie Dubrie who has been employed in the United Nations System for over fourteen years, and who served as a past National Ozone Officer of Trinidad and Tobago, was also recognized in this category for her role in supporting developing countries in meeting and sustaining Montreal Protocol obligations.

Dr. Marissa Gowrie- National Ozone Officer of Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago becomes the 21st Party to the Kigali Amendment!!

The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol will enter into force on 1 January 2019 after the threshold for the agreement to enter into force was met on 17 November 2017, when it was ratified by 20 parties.

Montreal Protocol parties continue to ratify the Amendment, which has so far been ratified by 21 parties. The parties, listed alphabetically, are: Australia, Canada, Chile, Comoros, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Finland, Germany, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Luxembourg, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Norway, Palau, Rwanda, Slovakia, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Trinidad and Tobago became the 21st Party to ratify the Amendment on Friday November 17, 2017. The first country in the Caribbean Region and the second in the wider Latin America and Caribbean Region.

The Amendment was adopted by the 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on 15 October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda. Under the Amendment, all countries will gradually phase down HFCs by more than 80 per cent over the next 30 years and replace them with more planet-friendly alternatives.

Developed countries will start reducing HFCs as early as 2019, while developing countries will start later. Phasing down HFCs under the Protocol is expected to avoid up to 0.5°C of global warming by the end of the century, while continuing to protect the ozone layer.

All prior amendments and adjustments of the Montreal Protocol, which marks its 30th anniversary in 2017, have universal support.

OZONEWS, VOL XVII, 15 NOVEMBER 2017 ISSUE

In This Issue: 

1. Nations to Agree on Funding for Continued Protection of the Ozone Layer and Reduction of Climate-warming Gases
2. 11th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (COP 11) and 29th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (MOP 29), 20-24 November 2017,  Headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Montreal, Canada
3. Warm Air Helped Make 2017 Ozone Hole Smallest Since 1988
4. SolarChill Refrigeration: An Offshoot of the Montreal Protocol
5. Bhutan - Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen Commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol
6. The Maldives’ second-largest economic sector, the fisheries industry, is now transitioning away from legacy HCFC systems to low-GWP alternatives, but challenges remain
7. Training organisations in Australia and New Zealand are seeing increased demand for natural refrigerant system training in the Asia-Pacific
8. Capa de ozono se tardará 10 años en recuperar: Mario Molina
9. México avanza en eliminar sustancias que dañan capa de ozono
10. Canada Ratifies Global Agreement to Reduce Powerful Greenhouse Gases and Heads to International Climate Change Conference to Urge Climate Action
11. Carbon credits coordinated by EOS Climate incentivize HFC reclamation and R22/CFC destruction as well as the installation of natural refrigerant-based systems
12. MACS reminds the aftermarket to be aware of changes to Section 609 requirements in 2018
13. Low GWP Fire Suppression Alternatives Spark Opportunity for Early Action on HFCs
14. Arctic Climate Research Lab Funding Renewed for Two More Years
15. Fin de vie des fluides : la France va faire école, Interview de Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, LaRPF, 20 octobre 2017, Par : Elise Kuntzelmann

http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction/information/mmcfiles/7857-e-OzoNewsVolXVII-30-MAR-2017.pdf