September 16 – World Ozone Day

On September 16, in commemoration of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on this day, the World Ozone Day is celebrated annually.

The motto for this day in 2024 is: "Montreal Protocol: Accelerating climate action".

The ozone layer is located in the stratosphere at an altitude of 10-40 km above the Earth's surface and protects all living things from harmful ultraviolet solar radiation. Life on Earth is impossible without sunlight. However, the energy emitted by the Sun would be too destructive for life on Earth if it were not for the ozone layer.

As a result of scientific research, it was discovered that a number of widely used chemical substances (halocarbons) are extremely dangerous to the ozone layer.

The scientific confirmation of the depletion of the ozone layer prompted the international community to take measures to protect the ozone layer. On March 22, 1985, the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was adopted and signed by 28 countries.

The signing of the Vienna Convention laid the foundation for international cooperation in the research and protection of the ozone layer and led to the adoption of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer on September 16, 1987, the ultimate goal of which is the complete phase-out of human-synthesized ozone-depleting chemicals.

The Republic of Belarus was among the first countries to adopt the Montreal Protocol in 1988 and fully complies with the provisions of this international treaty, and is ahead of schedule for phasing out the consumption of certain ozone-depleting substances.

Since 2020, ozone-depleting substances have not been imported into Belarus. The needs for servicing existing equipment operating on ozone-depleting substances are met through available stocks, as well as through the implementation of recycling and recovery processes for ozone-depleting substances.