Maputo — The Mozambican Ministry of Land and Environment has introduced a decree which bans ozone-destroying gases, and has called on those involved in the import, inspection and sale of refrigeration equipment to ensure that they do not use such gases.
According to Emília Fumo, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Land and Environment, interviewed by AIM, during a seminar in the southern province of Maputo, "all sectors must work together to implement decree 26/2024, recently approved by the government with a view to regulating the import of refrigeration equipment.'
"The government will ban the entry of refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and other equipment that work with gases that are harmful and dangerous to the ozone layer, particularly the R22 gas', she said.
The technical name of R22 is dichlorodifluoromethane, which used to be widely used as a propellant and refrigerant. Under the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer, R22 and similar gases were phased out in developed countries in 2020. In developing countries, including Mozambique, the phase-out should be completed by 2030.
Fumo explained that the ozone layer can be damaged by greenhouse gases "that we have in our equipment.' R22 is a powerful greenhouse gas, which is 1,810 times as powerful as carbon dioxide.
"That's why the import of equipment that uses these gases, which are hydrochlorofluorocarbons, will be banned. The R22 gas has a compressor that carries mineral oil, a non-biodegradable chemical substance that, when disposed of inappropriately in soil and water, is an attack on public health', Fumo said.
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Decree 26/2024 aims to control the production, export, import, transit, trade and consumption of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and refrigeration and air conditioning equipment in Mozambique.
For this reason, she said, there is every need to equip people working in this field with technical skills in order to avoid unpleasant situations for national health and the economy.
For her part, Leonardo Sulila, the focal point for the implementation of the Montreal Protocol, said that as of January 2025, R22 can only be imported for scientific research, military, defense and security, and health purposes.
"At the moment, the country is using refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners that work with R134a, R404A, R406A, R407c, R408A and R410A, which are considered to be destructive gases and harmful to climate change, but which will be banned by 2045 under the United Nations framework convention', she said.
With the destruction of the ozone layer, the sun's ultraviolet rays fall directly on the earth, and are responsible for damage such as skin cancer, eye damage, cataracts, premature ageing, dehydration, vulnerability to infectious diseases, deep sunburn, and weakening of the immune system.
"The consequences also include a reduction in harvests of some crops, a reduction in fish species, a reduction in forest productivity and the destruction of marine food chains. As an alternative, the government will only allow the import of refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners that work with R290 and R744 gases', she said.
The industrial sector, Sulila added, will use R717 gas, which is considered climate-friendly.
