The Acting Director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Change and Ozone Department, Joseph Amankwa Baffoe, has warned that the emission of gases responsible for ozone layer depletion poses serious health risks, including skin and eye diseases.
Speaking during a seminar in Koforidua as part of this year’s World Ozone Day celebration, Amankwa Baffoe noted that the primary sources of these harmful emissions in Ghana are gases from refrigerators and air conditioners. He attributed the alarming rate of emissions to the lack of adequately trained and certified technicians in the refrigeration and air conditioning sectors.
To combat this issue, the EPA plans to launch a nationwide training and certification program for refrigerator and air conditioner technicians to ensure compliance with environmental standards. “After the training and certification, the EPA will enforce the law, and individuals who violate these standards will face sanctions, including fines,” Amankwa Baffoe stated.
The seminar, held under the theme “Protecting The Environment, Our Collective Responsibility”, is part of a series organized by the EPA in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to enhance understanding of climate change, ozone depletion, and environmental challenges among tertiary institutions and organizations.
Additionally, Isaac Kwabena Danso, Assistant Program Officer of the EPA’s Climate Change Unit, stressed the need for public awareness about the consequences of ozone layer depletion, particularly its impact on Ghana’s agricultural sector.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah