The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is a global agreement to protect the Earth’s ozone layer by phasing out the chemicals that deplete it. This phase-out plan includes both the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. The landmark agreement was signed in 1987 and entered into force in 1989.

The parties to the Protocol meet once a year to make decisions aimed at ensuring the successful implementation of the agreement. These include adjusting or amending the Protocol, which has been done six times since its creation. The most recent amendment, the Kigali Amendment, called for the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in 2016. These HFCs were used as replacements for a batch of ozone-depleting substances eliminated by the original Montreal Protocol. Although they do not deplete the ozone layer, they are known to be powerful greenhouse gases and, thus, contributors to climate change.

The Montreal Protocol provided a set of practical, actionable tasks that were universally agreed on. The Protocol has successfully met its objectives thus far and continues to safeguard the ozone layer today. Thanks to the collaborative effort of nations around the world, the ozone layer is well on its way to recovery.

Declaration on High-GWP alternatives to ODSs (2009)

Source(s)
Annex III: Declaration on High-GWP alternatives to ODSs - Twenty-First Meeting of the Parties

By: Angola, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Fiji, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea Bissau, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Madagascar, Marshall Islands, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Morocco, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papau New Guinea, Palau, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, United States, Zambia.

Aware of the wide agreement among scientists that climate change will threaten present and future generations unless more stringent measures are adopted and implemented urgently,

Concerned that climate change is occurring faster than previously predicted,

Mindful that certain high-GWP alternatives to ODSs used to replace certain ozone depleting substances are powerful greenhouse gases and are contributing to climate change,

Emphasize the fact that the substitution of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) need not necessarily rely on the use of high-GWP alternatives;

Also aware that more environmentally sound alternative substances and technologies already exist or are rapidly being developed and that in various sectors a transition away from high-GWP alternatives to ODSs can already be achieved,

Also aware that the Montreal Protocol is well-suited to phase-down high-GWP alternatives to ODSs, having already phased-out similar chemicals in the same sectors that now utilize high-GWP alternatives to ODSs,

Stress the need to review the possibility of appropriately amending the Montreal Protocol to include a progressive reduction of the production and consumption of select high-GWP alternatives to ODSs as controlled substances, and to ensure appropriate coordination with the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol, including adequate reporting,

Recognizing that certain high-GWP alternatives to ODSs are within the basket of greenhouse gases controlled by the Kyoto Protocol and amendments to the Montreal Protocol should be agreed to in a manner that neither excludes controlled high-GWP substances from the scope of the UNFCCC or Kyoto Protocol, nor affect existing commitments undertaken by Parties thereto,

Encourage all states to urgently consider phasing-down the production and consumption of high-GWP alternatives to ODSs where alternatives exist,

Agree to commit to encourage and facilitate the accelerated development of climate friendly substituting chemicals, products, and technologies for all applications of HCFCs,

Agree to facilitate the access to relevant scientific information, research results, training, and the transfer of technology and its implementation to all Article 5 Parties,

Agree to take appropriate measures to limit the use of high-GWP alternatives to ODSs as soon as practicable.

Port Ghalib, Egypt, 8 November 2009