ASHGABAT, April 24 (Trend AZ) - Turkmenistan is carrying out work on the management plan of eliminating the use of hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), an article posted in the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper says.

A few days ago Ashgabat hosted a seminar on reducing the use of HCFCs in the economy and the introduction of modern alternatives in the design and installation of integrated air conditioning and heating systems in civil engineering.

The event was held as part of the project of the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan called 'Institutional strengthening of the Montreal Protocol implementation in Turkmenistan', and with the assistance of the UN Environment Program.

Ozone depletion has caused an increase in the proportion of dangerous ultraviolet radiation in the solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface. This discovery led to the adoption of measures at an international level aimed at taking ozone-depleting substances (ODS) out of circulation.

At this period, 191 countries support the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol. Turkmenistan ratified the document in 1993 and in 2008 Turkmenistan joined the Copenhagen, Montreal and Beijing amendments to the Montreal Protocol.

A national program for the removal of ODS from circulation which provides an action plan to implement the commitments of Turkmenistan has been elaborated.

The main governmental body responsible for carrying out works on the gradual removal and replacement of ODS is the Ministry of Nature Protection of the country.

Turkmenistan has committed itself not to produce ozone-depleting substances and to limit their consumption. From 1987 to the present time the world managed to remove from the circulation 20,000 tons of substances that deplete the ozone shield of the planet in consumption and 29,000 tons in production.