New Ozone Education Pack Targets
Primary Schools
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 co-incide 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.
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.
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