Inece - International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement

The earth’s stratospheric ozone layer plays a critical role in shielding the earth from harmful levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.  During the 20^th Century, scientists discovered that many commonly used manmade substances were actively depleting ozone, creating a dramatic “hole” in the Antarctic stratosphere and more subtle, but nonetheless dangerous, impacts elsewhere.  Overexposure to UV rays can cause a range of serious problems ranging from increased incidence of skin cancer and cataracts to crop damage and depletion of phytoplankton, which make up the bottom of the marine food chain.

The Montreal Protocol, first signed in 1987 and subsequently revised seven times, was enacted to phase out ozone depleting substances (ODS), restore the thickness of the ozone layer to former levels, and to minimize the dangers caused by excessive radiation. The Protocol has been widely regarded as an international success, with an end to production of the most damaging ODS, including CFCs, carbon tetrachloride, and halons.

The success of the Montreal Protocol may cause many to regard ozone depletion as yesterday’s problem, but nothing could be further from the truth. During 2011, scientists discovered a record loss of stratospheric ozone in the arctic. In addition, ozone-depleting substances are among the most potent greenhouse gases and have a high global warming potential relative to other greenhouse gases.  They also have a shorter life-span in the upper atmosphere, suggesting that an accelerated and rigorous effort to eliminate remaining ODS could be critical to avoiding a “tipping point” of irreversible climate effects.  Currently, many ODS (including the agricultural fumigant methyl bromide) remain in widespread use and are only subject to a long-term phase-out.