India is marking World Ozone Day 2025 (16th September) under the theme “From science to global action,” emphasizing that scientific understanding of ozone depletion must now fully translate into policy, enforcement, and measurable results. The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change is leading the country’s public efforts, alongside technical bodies such as the Ozone Cell, to reduce harmful substances and implement cooling strategies. These moves reflect India’s dual commitment: repairing the ozone layer and reducing greenhouse-gas equivalents linked to cooling.
Historically, India’s engagement with global ozone protection started with ratifying the Vienna Convention (1985) and the Montreal Protocol (1987). Over time, regulatory rules such as the Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Rules and HCFC Phase-Out Management Plans (HPMPs) were adopted. These formed the basis for phasing out substances like CFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride, etc., as required under international treaty schedules.
In recent years, the launch of India’s Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) has added structured policy tools to the earlier regulatory ones, targeting sectors like refrigeration, air conditioning, cold chains, and servicing. The HFC Phase-Down Strategy, finalized in 2023, is meant to align India’s cooling demand and energy use in these sectors with low global warming potential (GWP) alternatives, while balancing cost, accessibility, and environmental safety.
Data now show that these measures are doing more than talk: India’s net reduction in CO₂ equivalent emissions tied to ozone-protection and cooling-friendly policies has increased from 4,262,100 MT CO₂ Eq/year in 2020 to 7,697,600 MT CO₂ Eq/year in 2023. These numbers indicate not just policy adoption but actual impact on emissions mitigation.
Current implementation includes stricter regulation on HFCs, promotion of low-GWP refrigerants, energy-efficiency programs in cooling devices, and improved training/servicing norms for refrigeration and air-conditioning sectors. These are meant to reduce leakage of refrigerants, improve end-user efficiency, and lower both environmental and energy costs.
Looking ahead, the benefits are multiple: reduced ultraviolet radiation exposure, fewer health risks (skin cancer, cataracts), reduced damage to crops and ecosystems, and co-benefits for climate change, since many ozone-friendly substitutes also contribute less to global warming. There are, however, challenges: ensuring uniform implementation, especially in rural and remote areas, making technology affordable, strengthening enforcement, and ensuring consumer awareness.
The path forward will require continued inter-ministerial coordination, especially between the environment, power, industry, and agriculture sectors, rigorous monitoring of emissions, and scaling up of technologies. Given India’s recent progress, the country is not only contributing to global ozone recovery but is leveraging that for climate protection, turning science into action in ways that affect lives, livelihoods, and planetary safety.