Shenzhen will get a gold award for its achievement in protecting the ozone layer at a conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the International Ozone Layer Protection Day, the Daily Sunshine reported Wednesday.

The conference will be held in Shenzhen for the first time, from Sept. 16 to 17.

Officials from the United Nations Environment Program, State Administration of Environmental Protection, representatives from more than 40 countries and mayors of 41 Chinese cities will attend the meeting and discuss how to protect the ozone layer.

If the ozone content drops by 1 percent, the ultraviolet radiation penetrating into the earth's atmosphere will increase by 2 percent, and the possibility of skin cancer will rise by 25 percent -- which means 300,000 more people throughout the world will suffer from skin cancer every year.

Even though 90 percent of the citizens have heard of the protective effect of the ozone layer, not many people know how to protect it, according to the report.

An official with the city's environmental protection bureau suggested that people buy Freon-free refrigerating equipments such as refrigerators and air conditioners as Freon was a common ozone depleting substance (ODS), according to the report.

Developed countries have basically phased out ODS and banned trading of products containing ODS. China now accounts for 50 percent of the global ODS consumption.

Starting from 1995, Sept. 16 has been designated as the annual International Ozone Layer Protection Day.

Editor: Yan