By NNN-KUNA,
Washington : Kuwaiti Ambassador to the United States Sheikh Salem Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah received late on Monday on behalf of Kuwait the 2008 Ozone Layer Protection Award.
Sheikh Salem told KUNA that this award “refutes allegations that oil exporting countries do not care about global environment,” noting that Kuwait is a pioneer in this environmental endaevor.
In an award ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) honored the achievements of Kuwait’s National Ozone Committee (NOC), an intergovernmental agency established in 1986.
Sheikh Salem said he was honored and proud to hear from US officials during the ceremony words of praise about Kuwait’s environmental record.
He noted that the award “reflects the status of Kuwait on the international scene due to its great efforts in protecting the environment.” “The National Ozone Committee (NOC) of Kuwait, under Dr. Saud Al-Rasheed’s leadership, successfully implemented a national action plan to convert ODS (Ozone Depleting Substances) consumer sectors to ozone-friendly technologies on a voluntary basis”, said the Award Citation.
The Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP), or the relative amount of degradation to the ozone layer a chemical compound can cause, decreased from 4,068 in 1986 to 349 in 2002, a rate of 91 percent downfall of Kuwait’s ODS consumption.
The award committee praised Kuwait’s “unique licensing system” that tightens the control and monitor over ODC consumption.
“These regulations are supported by awareness campaigns to ensure all stakeholders to effectively carry out their roles to fulfill Montreal Protocol obligations”, said the citation award.
The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty aims to phase out the production of a number of chemical substances causing damage to the ozone layer.
EPA’s Director of Stratospheric Protection Division Drusilla Hufford told KUNA that her agency recognizes each year since 1990 those who made “enormous progress” in protecting Earth’s stratospheric ozone layer.
“What was extraordinary about the efforts of the Kuwait’s NOC was that they have put in place not only a comprehensive regulatory program but also the most aggressive licensing system in the world”, she added.
Hufford further noted that this system is even more aggressive than the one implemented in the United States.
“It is a model for what countries around the world can look to when they are thinking about not only problems of managing productions but also dealing with illegal imports”, she said.
Kuwaiti authorities seized more than ten shipments of illegal ODS in 2005. The citation committee also commended Kuwait’s training programs for customs authorities and raising of public awareness.
According to the committee, the positive impact of this comprehensive policy approach is reflected in higher prices of pollutant subtances in Kuwait, compared to neighboring countries. EPA presented during the ceremony the Climate Protection Awards and the Ozone Layer Protection Awards to individuals, organizations, corporate and government agencies from the United States, India, China, Mongolia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Sweden, Sri Lanka and Italy.