Greens urge cut in ozone-harming fumigant

As a 3000km ozone hole passes over New Zealand today the Green Party has called for a reduction in the use of the ozone-destroying chemical methyl bromide.

Methyl bromide is used to fumigate a range of imports at ports throughout New Zealand.

Green Party Co-Leader Russel Norman said use of the chemical in New Zealand had increased by 50 per cent between 1996 and 2004.

"In 1996 we used 160 tonnes of methyl bromide but this had increased to 243 tonnes in 2004, mostly for quarantine purposes and pre-shipment treatment of timber," he said.

"On a day when we are suffering from high UV levels as a result of the ozone hole overhead, it seems crazy that we are not cutting our use of methyl bromide."

Dr Norman said the increased UVB radiation from a thinner ozone layer was linked to the development of skin cancer.

"But there is a disturbing lack of urgency in Government efforts to find alternatives to methyl bromide, instead more and more exemptions are issued so that use continues to climb.

"The work under way to find alternatives to methyl bromide needs to be sped up or we will find ourselves delaying the recovery of the ozone hole – a recovery in which we have a strong vested interest."

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) said UV levels throughout New Zealand would rise about 20 per cent as the ozone-light atmospheric system passed over this afternoon.

"It's a bit like a weather front. It will sweep over the whole country, and there isn't going to be one worse location than any other," scientist Greg Bodeker said.

- NZHERALD STAFF