Cuba reduces imports of gases harmful to the environment

Only between 2015 and 2024 alone, Cuba saw a decrease in imports of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), a prove to its national plan in response to the Montreal Protocol (1987) on the control and gradual elimination of the production and consumption of environmentally harmful industrial chemicals.

The reduction went from 283.6 metric tons to 44.45, which is equivalent to a significant ozone depletion potential of 16.9 to 2.44.

Helen Rodriguez, communications specialist at the Center for Information Management and Energy Development (CUBAENERGÍA), told the Cuban News Agency that the action program to sustainably reduce the import and consumption of these ozone-depleting substances has been in place for years. She added that in the current Phase II of the National HCFC Phase-Out Plan (2021–2030), the government seeks to reduce 67.5% of its expenditure with the goal of eliminating them completely by 2030.

Its progress is due to the strengthening of technical education, the replacement of technologies with others with low global warming potential, and a stricter legal framework for import controls, she said.

It also includes technological reconversion programs, training for technicians, customs officers, importers, and officials, and international exchanges with global experts and suppliers. In its commitment to equity, it promotes female participation in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector, incorporating women into technical training activities that favor their inclusion.

Outreach, she continued, has been equally strategic, with national campaigns in the media, social networks, schools, and public events, focused on protecting the ozone layer and mitigating climate change. These actions reaffirm the country's political will to fulfill its international commitments and consolidate a sustainable and responsible development model for future generations.

CUBAENERGIA and its Technical Ozone Office (OTOZ) are attached to the Agency for Nuclear Energy and Advanced Technologies (AENTA) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA).

OTOZ is promoting an action plan in preparation for the 30th anniversary of its establishment on September 16, coinciding with the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, a kind of umbrella that protects the Earth from the sun's ultraviolet radiation.

Cuba is a signatory to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985) and the Montreal Protocol (1987), related to the control and gradual elimination of the production and consumption of industrial chemicals that are harmful to the environment.