The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer  is a treaty finalized in 1987 that describes and emphasizes on over 100  man-made substances that deplete the ozone layer in the atmosphere. Sri Lanka signed this Protocol on December 15th ,1989. This is a treaty that  could have been the solution to global warming and ozone layer depletion. But we as Sri Lankans have not acted on it properly as a nation, or rather  not acted as expected and we have contributed to these world  environmental crises today. 

The Montreal Protocol was one of the most Eco-friendly treaties  made. It mainly helps to protect the ozone layer, which filters out harmful  ultraviolet (UV) rays from the Sun. But with its increasing rate of depletion,  people all around the world have a higher risk of getting cancer. Scientists  say that if we can fully implement the rules and regulations of the  Protocol, then there would be 443 million less cases of skin cancer, 2.3  million less cancer deaths and 63 million less cataract cases in the entire  world!However, humans have not even given a thought to this treaty, and  look at the amount of cancer patients today! But if we act on it now, we can  turn this around. Here are some ways you can help in this. 

Food waste is a giant factor that contributes to this crisis, as most  wasted food goes to landfills. Did you know that at home, the typical Sri Lankan family wastes about 2kg of food everyday! We can, however,  reduce this wasting, by: making a menu of what you will eat for the whole  week, buying the ingredients you need for that 1 week, and by avoiding  spontaneous shopping (which is the largest cause of food wastage) We  should also start saying no to disposable plastic storage containers and  start using glass and stainless-steel jars and boxes. Next, we need to find  more Eco-friendly methods of refrigeration and preservation of food as  well. Also, we should reduce the use of automobiles that run on fuel, and  start to use other Eco-friendly methods of transport. Example: Riding a  bicycle on short journeys and using more public transport. Then there will  be less harmful substances produced that will harm the environment.

We also need to learn to be Eco-friendly. Here are some tips on how  to be Eco-friendly: 

• Start recycling cans and glass and plastic 
• Stop using the plastic bags that we commonly refer to as “Silli  Silli” bags 
• Start planting trees 
• Reduce deforestation 

However, we, the citizens of Sri Lanka, do not give a petty thought to  this ozone layer. Some of us don’t even know about this  

underestimated world crisis. The common public do not know the  gravity of this problem. Government and NGO officials should  educate the common public about this matter and how to stop it using the Montreal Protocol rules and regulations, so that they can  help to stop this crisis. For example, let us take the food waste crisis.  In ancient times of Sri Lanka, people didn’t throw away left-over  food. They composted it and used it as fertilizer to plant and grow  trees. This way, the food waste always went in a circle. It was turned  into fertilizer, put in soil to plant trees, and therefore the  environment was not harmed. See? We too need to think of Eco friendly ways like this to reduce food waste and help to stop the  Ozone layer depletion. 

Some of us are, however, stepping up and trying to fulfill this  Protocol. In fact, Sri Lanka is known as one of the best implementer  of this Protocol up to date. This shows that some other countries are  doing even worse than us. In 2017, the Sri Lankan Government even  ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, as the world  around us is changing. 

The Montreal Protocol contains all the info we need to stop ozone  layer depletion and global warming. So, I urge you all to start to find  more Eco-friendly ways of living life, so that our environment and  ozone layer will be saved, along with millions of lives around the  globe.

By Yash Nanayakkara, 12 years old