Bangkok, 7 July 2008.  The United Nations Environment Programme presented the newest edition of the Ozzy Ozone booklet during the Open-Ended Working Group of the Parties of the Montreal Protocol in order to raise awareness and motivate children and adults to take action in favour the environment.

The fourth issue of the ‘Ozzy Ozone: Defender of our Planet’ comic book series, entitled ‘Ozzy Goes Island Hopping’, features ozone depletion and climate change issues in the Small Island Development States with a special focus on the importance of phasing out the Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). 

In this educative cartoon book, Ozzy and Zoe Ozone, the Defenders of the planet, travel from the stratosphere to visit their friends Alida, the leatherback turtle, Guno, the sand crab and Ronaldo, the red snapper in Suriname in the Caribbean, to learn about the effects of climate change in small islands and low-lying coastal states.

They also journey to Fiji in the Pacific Ocean to meet Tau, the crested iguana to learn about the importance of phasing out HCFCs, which are gases used to replace ozone depleting substances but themselves can contribute significantly to climate change. At the end of their travels they meet Frank the Frog and Maakanaa, the Grey Heron in the Maldives in the Indian Ocean to learn some simple actions that young people can take in their daily lives to help protect the ozone layer and diminish the impacts of climate change.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, said: “Ozzy goes Island Hopping is a perfect tool to raise children’s awareness in many of these small islands and low-lying states which are vulnerable to rising sea levels, storm surges and dramatic climate change. They have so much to teach, especially the simple actions children can take to reduce the impacts of climate change.” 
The book was prepared with the special cooperation of UNICEF, UNESCO and the World Organization of the Scout Movement with the participation of the governments of the hosting islands. 

Notes to editors:

Ozzy Ozone is the UNEP's flagship campaign for children regarding stratosphere ozone protection initiated as part of our organization’s mandate as an Implementing Agency of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

For more information please contact:

Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson, Office of the Executive Director, on Tel: +254 20 762 3084; Mobile: 254 733 632 755 or when traveling +41 795 965 737; E-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org

Or Anne-France White, Associate Information Officer, on Tel: +254 20 762 3088, Mobile: + 254 728600494; E-mail: anne-france.white@unep.org
Or Anne Fenner
Information Officer
UNEP/DTIE
15 Rue de Milan
75441 Paris CEDEX 09
France

Tel.: +33 144 37 14 50
Fax: +33 144 37 14 74
E mail: ozzy@unep.fr
Web: www.ozzyozone.org