Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol (1987) is an international agreement that controls the production and
CONSUMPTION of substances that cause ozone depletion. The full title of the agreement is the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Ozone (three oxygen atoms, chemical formula O3) is a rare but important compound found in the earth’s atmosphere. In the 1980s, scientists identified chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as a major source of ozone depletion. (CFCs were mainly used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems.) The ozone layer in the earth’s atmosphere filters solar radiation, absorbing ultraviolet sunlight, and its depletion contributes to global warming. The Montreal Protocol and subsequent agreements were the first major international agreements forcing businesses to change
PRODUCTION processes in response to fears of global warming. Since 1987, when the protocol was signed by 29 countries and the
EUROPEAN UNION (then the European Economic Community), the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances has been reduced more rapidly than that required hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have been introduced to provide alternatives to CFCs. Global cooperation for the protection of the ozone layer began with the negotiation of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer in 1985. The details of the international agreement were defined in the Montreal Protocol, which was signed in 1987 and became effective in 1989. It contains provisions for regular review of the adequacy of control measures, based on assessments of existing and new scientific, environmental, technical, and economic information. At a meeting in London in 1990, the parties to the Montreal Protocol agreed to a phase-out of additional controlled substances, including halons, carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, HCFCs, hydrobromofluorocarbons (HBFCs), and methyl bromide. At a 1992 meeting held in Copenhagen, the participating countries agreed to accelerate the phase-out schedules of these controlled substances. The 1997 Montreal amendments banned export and import of controlled substances, and the 1999 Beijing amendments added reporting requirements and further restrictions on ozone-depleting substances. By 1999, 172 countries had signed the Montreal Protocol, and a multilateral fund was established to provide
RESOURCES for developing countries to meet their commitments under the accord. Under the protocol, developed countries were given a specified period to phase out the use of CFCs. Developing countries agreed to eliminate CFCs, but were given an additional 10 years to reach compliance. Developing countries are allowed to continue to produce and purchase CFCs and carbon tetrachloride for use until 2010 and methyl chloroform until 2015. Developed nations can continue to produce CFCs up to 15 percent of their 1986 baseline for sale to developing countries to meet their domestic needs and for essential uses. In addition to the Montreal Protocol, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the European Union have imposed stricter regulations and phase-out schedules. Parties to the protocol identified a number of essential uses that are deemed necessary for the health and safety of society and for which there are no technically and economically feasible alternatives available or substitutes that are environmentally acceptable. Production for such uses is still permitted under the protocol; this provision is reviewed annually.
