Montreal Protocol

Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer
Signed16 September 1987[1]
LocationMontreal
Effective1 January 1989 if 11 states have ratified by then.
ConditionRatification by 20 states
Signatories46
Ratifiers198 (all United Nations members, as well as the Cook Islands, Niue, the Holy See, Palestine, and the European Union)
DepositarySecretary-General of the United Nations
LanguagesArabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
The largest Antarctic ozone hole recorded (September 2006)
2012 retrospective video by NASA on the Montreal Protocol

The Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed on 16 September 1987, and entered into force on 1 January 1989. Since then, it has undergone several amendments and adjustments, with revisions agreed to in 1990 (London), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), 1999 (Beijing), 2007 (Montreal), 2016 (Kigali) and 2018 (Quito).[2][3][4] As a result of the international agreement, the ozone hole in Antarctica is slowly recovering.[5] Climate projections indicate that the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels between 2040 (across much of the world) and 2066 (over Antarctica).[6][7][8] Due to its widespread adoption and implementation, it has been hailed as an example of successful international co-operation. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated that "perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date has been the Montreal Protocol".[9][10] In comparison, effective burden-sharing and solution proposals mitigating regional conflicts of interest have been among the success factors for the ozone depletion challenge, where global regulation based on the Kyoto Protocol has failed to do so.[11] In this case of the ozone depletion challenge, there was global regulation already being installed before a scientific consensus was established. Also, overall public opinion was convinced of possible imminent risks.[12][13]

The ozone treaty has been ratified by 198 parties (197 states and the European Union),[14] making it the first universally ratified treaty in United Nations history.[15]

This truly universal treaty has also been remarkable in the expedience of the policy-making process at the global scale, where only 14 years lapsed between a basic scientific research discovery (1973) and the international agreement signed (1985 and 1987).

  1. ^ "About Montreal Protocol". United Nations Environment Programme. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  2. ^ Hub, IISD's SDG Knowledge. "Kigali Amendment Enters into Force, Bringing Promise of Reduced Global Warming | News | SDG Knowledge Hub | IISD". Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  3. ^ McGrath, Matt (15 October 2016). "Deal reached on HFC greenhouse gases". BBC.
  4. ^ "The Evolution of the Montreal Protocol". United Nations Environment Programme Ozone Secretariat. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  5. ^ Ewenfeldt B, "Ozonlagret mår bättre", Arbetarbladet 12-9-2014, p. 10.
  6. ^ "Ozone Layer on Track to Recovery: Success Story Should Encourage Action on Climate". UNEP. UNEP. 10 September 2014. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  7. ^ Susan Solomon; Anne R. Douglass; Paul A. Newman (July 2014). "The Antarctic ozone hole: An update". Physics Today. 67 (7): 42–48. Bibcode:2014PhT....67g..42D. doi:10.1063/PT.3.2449. hdl:1721.1/99159.
  8. ^ Canada, Environment and Climate Change (20 February 2015). "Ozone layer depletion: Montreal Protocol". aem. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  9. ^ "The Ozone Hole – The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer". Theozonehole.com. 16 September 1987. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  10. ^ "Background for International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer – 16 September". un.org. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  11. ^ Of Montreal and Kyoto: A Tale of Two Protocols Archived 26 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine by Cass R. Sunstein 38 ELR 10566 8/2008
  12. ^ Environmental Politics Climate Change and Knowledge Politics Archived 26 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine Reiner Grundmann, Vol. 16, No. 3, 414–432, June 2007
  13. ^ Technische Problemlösung, Verhandeln und umfassende Problemlösung, (eng. technical trouble shooting, negotiating and generic problem solving capability) Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine in Gesellschaftliche Komplexität und kollektive Handlungsfähigkeit (Societys complexity and collective ability to act), ed. Schimank, U. (2000). Frankfurt/Main: Campus, pp. 154–182 book summary at the Max Planck Gesellschaft Archived 12 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "Status of Ratification – The Ozone Secretariat". Ozone.unep.org. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  15. ^ "UNEP press release: 'South Sudan Joins Montreal Protocol and Commits to Phasing Out Ozone-Damaging Substances'". Unep.org. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2012.