BEIJING - China has banned the production and import of two ozone-depleting substances, honouring an international commitment to phase them out by 2010.
China is a signatory to the Montreal Protocol, which now has 189 member nations and is considered one of the most effective environmental treaties. More than $2 billion has been spent through an affiliated fund prodding countries to stop using chlorofluorocarbons, also known as CFCs.
CFCs are used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and halon is used in fire extinguishers. The two have been identified as the main substances damaging the earth's ozone layer.
The official Xinhua News Agency says eight industries that used or produced CFCs and halon have now banned the substances and six others have agreed to do so.
The Environmental Protection Administration says China has disposed of about 100,000 tons of CFCs and about 80,000 tons of halon since it signed the Montreal Protocol in 1991.
