Bangkok, 16 September 2021 ‒ “How can our daily life contribute to the ozone layer protection?” Mr. Siwakorn Maneethein, a third-year student of Geological Sciences at the Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Thailand, enthusiastic about sustainable natural resources and environmental preservation shared his understanding of this significant question at a press conference of the launch of the Asia Pacific Ozone2Climate Art Contest on World Ozone Day, 16 September 2021.
In 2015, Maneethein, then a junior high school student aged 14, won the national contest essay on the topic ‘How does our daily life protect the ozone layer?” organized by the National Ozone Unit of Thailand. Beforehand, Maneethein and two fellow students had thoroughly researched ozone layer protection and consulted with teachers on the subject. Maneethein then presented his views and saw the value of everyone in participating towards reducing the destruction of the ozone layer and global warming. He particularly appealed to his generation to contribute by choosing products not containing ozone depleting substances (ODS) but environmentally-friendly ones. Satisfied that Thailand had successfully phased out CFCs in 2010 and switched to less damaging substances, Maneethein emphasized that the ozone layer and climate protection cannot be achieved individually, but requires cooperation among all, especially youth like himself who are the future generation.
Due to restrictions caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the public awareness raising Ozone2Climate Art Contest was launched online by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and more than 30 countries in the Asia Pacific region. A key factor of the Art Contest is to engage the general public especially the youth like Mr. Siwakorn Maneethein to link daily life activities and choices with the common environmental challenges faced globally, and consider how to be engaged to identify solutions, and most importantly, how everyone can contribute to addressing the challenges.
Officially opened on World Ozone Day, 16 September 2021, the Art Contest will run its course and close on 31 March 2022, followed by the 
regional contest of nominated winners. The final winners in the three categories of artworks - photography, drawing, and graphic design, will be evaluated and announced on World Ozone Day in 2022.
As highlighted by Mr. James S. Curlin, Head of UNEP OzonAction, the role of industry and the public in the promotion of Ozone2Climate safe alternative technologies to replace ODS and high-global warming potential refrigerants is critical for the success of achieving ozone layer protection and climate-friendly targets. He further called on “everybody in the Asia-Pacific region and world at large to take action and play their role” noting especially that "the procurement power of the public will guide the market to favour Ozone2Climate products.”
Mr. Alex Rendell, UNEP’s National Goodwill Ambassador for Thailand, whose video message was pre-recorded, invited everyone to join this art contest to learn more about the issue that is critical to our lives and our well-being by sharing their ideas through the contest to show how ozone layer depletion and climate change can be solved. He further shared his idea on how everyone can contribute to protecting the ozone layer and climate by making conscientious and more environmentally friendly choices such as buying refrigerators and air-conditioners that are energy efficient and use climate-friendly refrigerants and maintaining that equipment in good condition to minimize refrigerant leakage and enhance energy performance.
Other high-level participants who addressed the press and public, and responded to questions were, Ms. Megumi Seki, Executive Secretary of UNEP’s Ozone Secretariat, Ms. Isabelle Louis, Deputy Regional Director at UNEP’s Asia Pacific Office, Ms. Rika Yorozu, Head, Executive Office and Regional Programme Coordinator for UNESCO Bangkok, and Mr. Jackrit Suthakorn, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, a supporting partner of the regional contest.
As of today, 33 developing countries in the region ‒ Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Viet Nam, have joined the regional initiative.
The art contest was organized as part of the Asia-Pacific Regional Networks of Ozone Officers, as part of UNEP's workplan under the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund.
For more information about the contest, please visit: www.ozone2climate.org or contact Mr. Shaofeng Hu, UNEP Senior Montreal Protocol Regional Coordinator at hus@un.org
