ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Table 9.2 Ozone protection – key developments1974 Scientists hypothesise that CFCs might cause ozone depletion.
1977 UNEP Co-ordinating Committee on the Ozone Layer established to assess ozone depletion.
1982 Twenty-four states begin discussions towards an ozone convention.
1985 Vienna Convention signed by twenty states and European Community: to co-ordinate
reporting and monitoring (came into force 1988). British scientists discover ‘hole’ in
ozone layer over Antarctic.
1987 Montreal Protocol signed by twenty-four states and the European Community: to regulate
consumption and production of CFCs and halons (came into force 1989).
1988 Ozone Trends Panel report confirms the link between CFCs and the ozone hole.
1989 EC and USA agree to phase out all production of CFCs by 2000.
1990 London Amendments to Montreal Protocol: all CFC/halon production to be phased out by
2000 (came into force 1992); more substances banned.
1992 Interim Multilateral Fund established; USA, then EC, announce CFC production to halt by
1996; Copenhagen Amendments – HCFC controls agreed leading to ban by 2030.
1997 Montreal Amendment finalises schedule for phasing out of methyl bromide.
1999 Beijing Amendment agreed immediate phase-out of bromochloromethane.
See UNEP (http://ozone.unep.org/index.asp) and International Institute for Sustainable Development
(http://www.iisd.ca/) for developments in ozone diplomacy.
◗ Ozone protection^4
The stratospheric ozone layer plays a critical part in protecting life on Earth
byabsorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation. In 1974 two American-based sci-
entists suggested that the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere could
be extensively damaged by anthropogenic chemicals, notably chlorofluoro-
carbons (CFCs), used as propellants in aerosols, refrigerants, solvents, foam
products, and halons, which are used in fire extinguishers. These synthetic
chemicals leak into the atmosphere, then rise into the stratosphere where
theyrelease chlorine and bromine, which destroy ozone. A thinner ozone
layer would increase skin cancers and cataracts, harm human and animal
immune systems (which will weaken resistance to infectious diseases) and
damage ecosystems. The sheer volume of these chemicals in the stratosphere
is indicative of their significance in modern industrialised economies, being
safe (i.e. non-inflammable and non-toxic), stable and versatile. Consequently,
any attempt to limit their use was sure to encounter strong resistance from
economic interests, notably the major chemical corporations that manufac-
tured them, such as Dupont (USA) and ICI (UK).
The first steps towards international action were tentative, as scientific
fact-finding, consensus-building and policy developments proceeded hand
in hand (see Table9.2). Initially, it was essential to establish the scientific
basis of the ozone problem, so in 1975 the UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) funded a study by the World Meteorological Society to examine the
link between CFCs and ozone depletion. Two years later a UN conference