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.

Decision IV/26: International recycled halon bank management

The Fourth Meeting of the Parties decided in Dec. IV/26:

  1. to urge Parties to encourage recovery, recycling and reclamation of halons in order to meet the needs of all Parties, particularly those operating under paragraph 1 of Article 5 of the Protocol;
  2. to call upon Parties importing recovered or recycled substances in Group II of Annex A to apply, when deciding on the use of those substances, the essential-use criteria set out in the 1991 report of the Halons Technical Options Committee. The purpose of these criteria is to minimize the use of halons in non-essential applications;
  3. to request the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (Halons Technical Options Committee) to undertake the following activities, and to report to the Secretariat and to request the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to consider the report and submit its recommendations to the Fifth Meeting of the Parties:
    1. evaluation and comparison of existing and proposed recycled halon bank management programmes and identify possible means of further facilitating international recycled halon bank management;
    2. identification of simple mechanisms to distinguish between virgin and recycled halons;
    3. investigation of appropriate technical standards and means to certify halons as suitable for re-use;
    4. investigation of possible legal and institutional barriers to the international trade in recovered and recycled halons;
    5. investigation of means to avoid the export of halons:
      1. that are unsuitable for reclamation or recycling; and
      2. in quantities that would encourage excessive dependence by the recipient countries;
    6. investigation of the practical application of technologies to reclaim severely contaminated halons;
  4. to request the Industry and Environment Programme Activity Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme to function as a clearing-house for information relevant to international halon bank management and further request the Centre to liaise with and coordinate its activities with the implementing agencies designated under the Financial Mechanism to encourage Parties to provide pertinent information to the above-mentioned clearing-house.