Semarnat
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    Atmosphere - Stratospheric Ozone
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Response indicators

Consumption of alternative substances

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are considered as alternative compounds to CFCs, as they share carbon, chlorine and fluorine. However, HCFCs also contain hydrogen, an element that reduces the persistence of these chemicals in the atmosphere (i. e., a shorter half life) and makes them less harmful (releasing less chlorine atoms; WMO et al., 2007). HCFCs consumed in Mexico (HCFC-22, 123, 124, 141b, 142b and 225) have an ozone-depleting potential ranging from 0.02 to 0.11, substantially lower than that of CFCs, with ranges from 0.6 to 1.0 (Semarnat, 2009). The use of these substances greatly contributes to meeting the objectives of CFCs elimination, since HCFCs can be used as coolants, cleaning solvents and in the manufacture of certain types of containers made of polyurethane foam (Department of Trade and Industry, 2000; WMO et al., 2007). However, by also being ODS, HCFCs production and consumption are also controlled by the Montreal Protocol (UNEP, 2005). The National weighted consumption of HCFCs is used to evaluate the country’s response to the ozone-layer thinning issue through the steady replacement of traditional ODS. By weighting consumption according to the ozone-depletion potential, a closer assessment of the actual effect of HCFCs on the ozone layer is obtained. The OECD and the United Nations, in the indicators for the Millennium Development Goals, use the weighted consumption of various ODS, including HCFCs, as an indicator (OECD, 2005; UN, 2008).

Investment in clean-technology projects

In Mexico, the replacement of highly ozone-depleting ODS by alternative substances is done through supporting investment projects in the sectors of household and commercial cooling systems, solvents, polyurethane foams, air conditioning (using CFCs) and fumigation (using methyl bromide) (UNEP, 2008). The international body responsible for administering the funds to support projects for the adoption of clean technologies is the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol (2009). The main objective of this Fund is to assist developing countries that have signed the Montreal Protocol and have per capita ODS consumption and production levels of less than 0.3 kilograms to meet the Protocol's control measures. These countries, including Mexico, are known as Section 5 (Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, 2009). The indicator Funds granted to Mexico by the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol shows the country’s response to reduce the use of ODS in specific productive activities. There is no international reference for this particular indicator. Although the OECD uses expenditure on clean technologies in its Core Set (OECD, 1993), this has not been addressed in subsequent reports.