MONTREAL PROTOCOL

Montreal Protocol

Montreal Protocol

Introduction

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international treaty that is designed to protect the ozone layer. The ozone layer is, in a word, the Earth's “sunscreen” that absorbs ultraviolet radiation, thus allowing life to exist on land. The Montreal Protocol was designed to phase out ozone-depleting substances (ODSs)—substances that had been created for various purposes, most famously for use in aerosols, refrigeration, and other forms of air-conditioning (Van, 2004). These amendments allowed for adjustments in protocol rules to accelerate the phase-out of certain ODSs. The Montreal Protocol now touts 191 signatories—a large increase from the original 46 participating countries.

Early History of the Ozone Layer Issue

Stratospheric ozone layer concentrations are rather small, making up only 8-10 parts per million of air at around 15-35 kilometers in altitude. A healthy ozone layer would average only 3 millimeters in thickness if compressed and measured at the Earth's surface. In the atmosphere, it is much less concentrated. However, this small concentration of ozone buffers ultraviolet radiation and aids in the regulation of the Earth's temperature and air circulation. In short, without the ozone layer, life on Earth could not exist (United Nations Environment Programme, 2007). In 1974, chemists F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina published an article predicting that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) would deplete the ozone layer. Molina and Rowland discovered that CFCs would persist long enough in the atmosphere to reach the stratosphere, where they could then be broken down by ultraviolet radiation that would release chlorine from the CFC molecule. These chlorine atoms could then potentially break down large quantities of ozone. Molina and Rowland would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking work on the ozone layer issue. However, early scientific research on the effect of CFCs on the ozone layer was hotly contested by the chemical industry. Yet, after Molina and Rowland testified before the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974, considerable funding was provided to tackle the problem. In 1976, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences confirmed the link between CFCs and ozone layer loss, leading to a flood of research on modeling the exact effect of CFCs on the ozone layer (United Nations Environment Programme, 2007).

 

Organization and Innovations of the Montreal Protocol

The protocol is considered innovative for having included a lag time for phase-outs of ODSs in developing countries—10-15 years, depending on the chemical. Less-developed countries (LDCs) are noted in Article 5, and developed countries often described as “non-Article 5” countries. Another innovation is the protocol's Multilateral Fund, a financial mechanism created with the recognition that developed countries should be responsible for helping LDCs eliminate ODSs (Parson, 2003). The Multilateral Fund has an independent secretariat and an executive committee with equal representation from industrialized countries and LDCs. United Nations agencies were put in charge of implementing projects for LDCs funded by the Multilateral Fund, such as the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Industrial Development ...