The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer

When did we realize ozone depletion was an issue, and how did we fix it? By 1985, the globe had already seen advancements in the scientific understanding of ozone depletion and its impacts on human health and the environment. It was then that the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was created in response. This agreement is a framework convention that lays out principles agreed upon by many parties. It does not, however, require countries to take control actions to protect the ozone layer. This would come later in the form of the Montreal Protocol.

The Vienna Convention was the first convention of any kind to be signed by every country involved, taking effect in 1988 and reaching universal ratification in 2009. This speaks to the enormity of ozone depletion at the time and the willingness of countries around the world to work together to solve it. The Convention aimed to promote cooperation among nations by exchanging information on the effects of human activities on the ozone layer. In doing so, the creators of the Convention hoped policymakers would adopt measures to combat those activities responsible for ozone depletion.

Today, the Vienna Convention is still making progress.The countries involved meet once every three years to make decisions on important issues including on Research and Systematic observations as well as financial and administrative matters.

Decision VC II/4: Recommendations of the Ozone Research Managers

The Conference of the Parties, in Decision VC II/4 of its Second Meeting, decided to note the outcome of the first meeting of the Ozone Research Managers (WMO Global Ozone Research and Monitoring Project Report No. 23) and, in accordance with the recommendations of that meeting:

  1. To recommend that the collaboration with WMO in the co-ordination of research and systematic observations should be further expanded;
  2. To request the Parties to the Convention to determine the ways and means to provide scientific and technical training in ozone monitoring and research and other relevant assistance especially to developing countries;
  3. To recommend that WMO should continue to provide guidance and infrastructure to ensure the maintenance and calibration of existing GO3OS stations, their data availability and analysis, and to aim at expanding the GO3OS to better cover the polar and tropical regions;
  4. To request the Secretariat to continue to collect information, within the framework of the Convention, on national research activities and ensure its wide distribution;
  5. To recall Decision VCI/6(a)(ii) of the First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention which requested the meeting of the ozone Research Managers to be composed of:
    1. Government Atmospheric Research Managers, and;
    2. Government Research Managers of research related to health and environmental effects of ozone modifications, and to request WMO in collaboration with UNEP to continue to arrange for convening the Ozone Research Managers meetings related to the Vienna Convention and to ensure that scientific assessment panels under the Montreal Protocol co-operate closely, to which end the chairpersons of the assessment panels should be invited to participate in the meetings of the Ozone Research Managers;
  6. To request the Parties to take note of the full range of recommendations in the Ozone Research Managers Meetings report and request that the Ozone Research Managers establish priorities for those recommendations in their next report.