New
Ozone Education Pack Targets Primary Schools
Nairobi/New Delhi/Santiago,
15 September 2006 – Looking at your shadow (the
shorter it is, the more dangerous UV radiation
is ), and covering up with hats, sunglasses and
sunscreen, are among the practical tips for children
contained in a new guide on the ozone layer for
primary school teachers.
The OzonAction Education Pack,
launched globally today in English, French and
Spanish, contains an entire teaching and learning
programme, based on basic knowledge, practical
skills and participation, to enable children to
learn about simple solutions to protect the ozone
layer and safely enjoy the sun.
"While we have hope that
the atmosphere is healing and that the Montreal
Protocol is working, we are still facing serious
challenges,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and Executive Director of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP). “Children should
be aware of the huge risks that a weakened ozone
layer poses to human health and the environment
and they must know that much remains to be done.
We must give them the means to protect their own
future, and education is certainly key in this
regard,” he said.
The pack, produced jointly by
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Health
Organisation (WHO), has been released to coincide
with the International Day for the Preservation
of the Ozone Layer on 16th of September. This
year’s theme is “Protect the Ozone Layer, Save
Life on Earth”.
“The OzonAction Education Pack
will help schoolchildren to become aware of the
simple protection steps that reduce solar UV health
risks, and these become even more important as
ozone layer depletion leads to intensified UV
radiation on Earth,” said Dr Anders Nordström,
Acting Director-General of WHO. “The severe health
effects such as melanoma and other skin cancers
are largely preventable through reduced sun exposure.
UV protection thus becomes an important component
of the global efforts towards cancer prevention.”
The ozone layer plays a crucial
role in the protection of life on Earth from harmful
effects of ultraviolet radiation. While some solar
UV radiation is necessary for bone health and
also may help to prevent certain chronic diseases,
excessive sun exposure causes immediate and long-term
health problems.
Sunburn - which can be severe
and blistering - is an acute health problem, while
skin cancer and cataract leading to blindness
are the most severe long-term health effects.
WHO estimates that about 1.5 million DALYs are
lost every year due to excessive solar UV radiation
(see www.who.int/uv). One DALY is equivalent to
one lost year of life in full health.
The OzonAction Education Pack
is also linked to the UN Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development, which is led by UNESCO.
“The United Nations Decade of
Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)
aims to integrate the values inherent in sustainable
development into all aspects of learning to encourage
changes in behaviour which will enable a more
viable and fairer society for everyone,” said
Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO.
“During this Decade, education for sustainable
development will help to make citizens better
prepared to face the challenges of the present
and the future, and to orient decision-makers
in their efforts to create a viable world.”
UNEP, UNESCO and WHO are jointly
promoting the OzonAction Education Pack to countries
around the world and encouraging Environment,
Education and Health Ministries, schools and teachers
to adopt it as part of the primary school curriculum.
The signing of the Montreal
Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer on 16 September 1987 is now celebrated every
year as the International Day for the Preservation
of the Ozone Layer.
The development of the Education
Pack was led by the OzonAction Branch in UNEP’s
Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
and it was financially supported by the Multilateral
Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
Note to journalists: For
more information, including resources and ideas
for celebrating International Ozone Day, see:
http://www.unep.org/ozone/ or http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction/events/ozoneday/2006.htm
As on of the four Implementing Agencies of the
Montreal Protocol’s Multilateral Fund, UNEP through
its OzonAction Programme assists developing countries
and countries with economies in transition to
achieve and sustain compliance with this treaty.
Information about the Programme, including eelectronic
copies of the OzonAction Education Pack, can be
downloaded from http://www.unep.fr/ozonaction
(hardcopies are available from mugure.ursulet@unep.fr).
