Ozone Depletion: Experts canvass punishment to enforce regulations

Tonnes of illegal e-waste are imported into the country annually. In this report, ETTA MICHAEL BISONG x-rays the impact of this activity on national development. 

The Country Director of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Dr David Tommy, has estimated that over 100, 000 tonnes of e-waste are illegally brought into Nigeria every year through Lagos and other ports. Some of the wastes, he said, came from used refrigerators, computers, television sets, mobile phones and others.

Tommy, who spoke at the just concluded National Environmental (Ozone Layer Protection) Regulations 2009 and best practice for the management of e-waste organised in Lagos, pledged UNIDO’s support for government in promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation development without compromising the environment.

The nation’s UNIDO boss said the review and amendment of the law would further chart a way for a sustainable solution to Nigeria’s environmental management problem.
The ozone layer is a protective blanket in the stratosphere that protects humans from harmful radiations from the sun particularly the ultra violet (UV) rays which are electromagnetic radiations.

To this end, he said, it has become pertinent for Nigeria to reflect on its laws on the disposal of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) waste in order to conform to product stewardship where the extended producer responsibility initiative is effected and manufacturers/ distributors of ODS containing equipment would initiate buy-back programmes to ensure that products are recycled and disposed satisfactorily.
Tommy urged the government to come out with a sound and comprehensive national e-waste management strategy to eliminate or reduce to the barest minimum, the adverse effects of e-waste to environment and socio-economic life.

Indeed, there has been rising concern over the depletion of the ozone layer. This has further made stakeholders to canvass for stiffer measures against erring persons, groups or governments.
This was the submission of several experts that spoke and made presentations at the National Environmental (Ozone Layer Protection) Regulations 2009 workshop.

The two-day event, which held at the Lagos office of the British Deputy High Commission and Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, was dominated by stakeholders who were canvassing an upward review of penalty to ensure strict compliance to the laws.
To achieve this, and as a way forward, it was noted that there is an urgent need for a review and amendment of the National Environmental (Ozone Layer Protection) Regulations 2009 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

This is because several factors such as inadequate training on identification of ODS, shortage of information from relevant stakeholders, absence of cooperatives on handlers, inadequate tools to facilitate effective training as well as monitoring and enforcement, including insufficient information on strategies for ODS destruction and inadequate compliance and monitoring.

These have been known to constitute hindrances to effective control of ODS.
In his presentation at the workshop, the Director-General of NESREA, Dr. Lawrence Anukam, listed standard qualities for ODS destruction as best practice for safe disposal and destruction schedule, specific roles for each of chemical, best practices in emission control, guidelines for extended produces responsibility programmes, alternative to ODS and upward review for penalty to ensure compliance as best ways forward for environmental management in the country.

An environment expert with UNIDO Regional Office, Mr. Oluyomi Banjo, speaking on “Green Industry: Demonstration Project for Disposal of Unwanted Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) in Nigeria,” said its objective was to set up a financially self-sustaining scheme that would contribute to reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

The scheme, he further explained, centres on the replacement of old units with energy-efficient appliances, pointing out that new appliances were sold to consumers at discounted rate. Model for appliance replacement scheme, he said, included sale of scrap metals and plastics from dismantled fridges.

Sharing his experience on “Nigeria ODS Destruction Pilot Project: Collection and Aggregation of ODS(CFC-12),”  the Managing Director, Beautaug-Thermo Limited, Augustine Atasie, said his team did not find chlorofluorocarbons (CFC- 12) in the oil industries as specified in the initial survey report.

According to him, those who agreed to speak to the team denied the existence of CFC-12 in their facilities, while some said their organisations had decommissioned their old equipment.
A presenter with Voice of Nigeria (VON), Ms. Nkechinyere Itodo, in her presentation on:”The Role of Media in Ozone Layer Protection and Environmental Protection,” listed wrong content alignment in news, poor capacity of media practitioners and organisational issues as some of the challenges weighing down mass media reportage of environmental matters in the country.

She urged government to champion environment programmes and projects, including funding of media’s participation in environmental conferences to boost media capacity. She tasked journalists to always highlight environment-related matters as developmental issues in their reporting and analysis.
But there have been some giant strides by the UNIDO in this regard.

Tommy said UNIDO, as an implementing agency for the Montreal Protocol of 1992, had implemented over 1, 200 projects in the country, assisting more than 98 countries to phase out more than 70,287 ODS tonnes for world’s total consumption of ozone depleting substances.
He added that UNIDO had worked with Nigeria in successfully achieving the ban on importation and production of chlorofluorocarbons. Presently, he said UNIDO was working with the country in the identification, aggregation and disposal of CFCs, review and updating legislations on ODS and technological application of methyl formate as an alternative to HCFCs.

“Training of air-conditioners and refrigeration practitioners and installation of 30 clean and up-to-date low pressure foam machines worth about $1million have just been completed. We also distributed an additional 45 machines across the country,” he said.
He noted that the machines, if well utilised, would maximise productive time, ensure the use of cleaner and safer alternatives to chemicals with high ODPs, increase production and improve product quality.