WORLD OZONE DAY: CECOSDA BRINGS THE DEBATE BACK TO EVERYDAY REALITIES

 

World Ozone Day 2026 | Journée internationale de la protection de la couche d’ozone 2026

Centre for Communication and Sustainable Development for All (CECOSDA) | Centre pour la Communication et le Développement Durable pour Tous (CECOSDA)

Yaoundé, 16 September 2026 — What happens to the gas inside an old refrigerator? What happens when an air conditioner is repaired without proper precautions? Can a solution really be called “green” if the process used to produce it creates another form of pollution?

These practical questions shaped CECOSDA’s awareness conference held on 16 September 2026 to mark World Ozone Day. The aim was not simply to repeat that the ozone layer must be protected. It was to understand the risks, examine our own practices and identify what citizens, technicians, organisations and decision-makers can do differently.

The discussion reflects CECOSDA’s broader commitment to green energy, responsible innovation, environmental awareness and skills for the energy transition.

Understand first what we are protecting.

Vidal DJOUKANG NGUIMFACK, CECOSDA volunteer on risk and the environment, brought the discussion back to the essentials: the ozone layer is a natural shield that absorbs much of the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Its degradation can affect human health, agriculture and ecosystems. The discussion also stressed the need not to confuse ozone-depleting substances, greenhouse gases and pollutants released by uncontrolled waste burning. They are related environmental concerns, but they do not act in the same way.

The first lesson was therefore simple: protecting the environment starts with understanding the problem correctly.

What if a “green” solution creates another problem?

One of the strongest moments of the conference was CECOSDA’s own experience with a project that transformed plastic waste into paving blocks. The starting idea was attractive: reduce plastic waste by turning it into a useful construction material.

Field implementation, however, revealed that the heating system being used could generate emissions that were not acceptable for the surrounding environment and communities. CECOSDA suspended production.

Emmanuel OGONO, CECOSDA resource person on environmental programmes and pollutants, used this case to underline a key principle: a recycling initiative is not automatically environmentally sound. The full process, the technology used and the risks created must also be assessed.

For CECOSDA, responsible innovation means being ready to stop, review and improve a solution when its environmental performance is not satisfactory.

An old refrigerator is not just an old refrigerator.

Vidal DJOUKANG NGUIMFACK, CECOSDA volunteer expert in environment and sustainability, drew attention to everyday practices that are often underestimated. Refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners reaching the end of their useful life can still contain refrigerants that require proper handling.

The risk increases when equipment is abandoned, dismantled without precautions or repaired without adequate recovery practices. Environmental protection therefore also concerns the technician, the seller, the importer and the owner of the equipment.

Training technicians and improving the management of end-of-life equipment are practical parts of the transition to safer technologies.

Do not burn what you do not understand.

The speakers also discussed uncontrolled waste burning. Plastics, electrical cables, electronic equipment and other complex materials can release harmful substances when burned under inappropriate conditions.

The practical recommendation is to avoid burning materials whose composition is unknown and to favour appropriate collection, recovery or treatment channels. CECOSDA’s approach is to translate environmental messages into actions that make sense in households, workshops, schools and communities.

Training technicians is also environmental action.

The energy transition does not depend on technology alone. It also depends on people who know how to install, maintain and repair equipment correctly. A well-trained technician can reduce avoidable losses, identify unsuitable practices and guide customers towards safer options.

This is why CECOSDA links environmental awareness with practical training in electricity, solar energy, energy entrepreneurship and technical skills.

The message: green must really be green.

The 16 September conference went beyond a ceremonial awareness message. CECOSDA also examined its own experience and shared what it had changed when a project did not meet the environmental standards expected.

The organisation’s message can be summed up in three actions: understand better, train better and choose technologies better.

CECOSDA thanks Mr. OGONO, CECOSDA’s resource person on environmental programs and pollutants; Vidal DJOUKANG NGUIMFACK, a volunteer expert on risk and the environment; and all the participants who contributed to the discussions.

A solution is truly green only when it protects both people and the environment.

The CECOSDA Team