International Agreements for Environmental Conservation – Ozone Layer

Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer

• The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer is a multilateral environmental agreement that has been ratified by 197 countries
• It serves as a foundation for international attempts to preserve the ozone layer
• It does not provide any legally binding reduction targets for the use of CFCs, the primary chemical agents that deplete the ozone layer. These are spelt out in the Montreal Protocol that accompanies it

Montreal Protocol

• Also called: Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depletion Substances
• This is the protocol of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
• It is an international treaty
• Came into force in 1989
• Ratifies: 197 (Universal treaty).
• It is legally binding
• It aims to protect the ozone layer by stopping the production of many substances
• The agreement is built around many forms of halogenated hydrocarbons that have been related to ozone depletion. Chlorine or Bromine is present in many of these ozone-depleting compounds. (Fluorine-only substances do not damage the ozone layer)
• It aims at phasing out:
  • Chlorofluorocarbons.
  • Hydrochlorofluorocarbons.
  • Hydrofluorocarbons are included under it (HFCs do not harm Ozone but are harmful as a Greenhouse gas) by Kigali Agreement.
• India’s Stand: India wants HFCs to be under Montreal Protocol as it will help India as a part of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) and puts less onus to eliminate HFCs immediately
• An international deal is helping to minimise the ozone hole in Antarctica. According to climate projections, the ozone layer will recover to 1980 levels between 2050 and 2070

Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol

• It made changes to the 1987 Montreal Protocol

• Under the Kigali Amendment, each of the 197 countries, including India, have consented to decrease HFC use by roughly 85% of their gauge levels by 2045

• From 2019, countries will be bound by the agreement
• Penalties for non-compliance are included as well
• It aims to eliminate hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a family of powerful greenhouse gases, by the end of the 2040s
• Developed countries will also expand their financial support under it
• Different timelines:
  • First group: It includes the world’s wealthiest nations, such as the United States, as well as others in the European Union (EU). By 2018, the generation and use of HFCs will be halted. By 2036, they intend to reduce them to around 15% of 2012 levels
  • Second group: The second category comprises countries such as China, Brazil, and all of Africa, among others. By 2024, they intend to freeze HFC usage and reduce it to 20% of what it was in 2021 by 2045
  • 3rd group: It includes India, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, .They will freeze HFC use by 2028 and diminish it to around 15% of 2025 levels by 2047
• NOTE: HFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons) are not ozone depleting substances but rather still they are remembered for Montreal Protocol through Kigali Agreement since they are strong worldwide temperature alteration substances

Conclusion

Scientists noticed that the ozone layer was depleting in the 1970s. Ozone concentrations in the atmosphere change naturally due to temperature, weather, latitude, and altitude, and compounds released by natural occurrences such as volcanic eruptions may also have an impact on ozone levels.

However, these natural events could not account for the reported levels of depletion, and scientific data proved that particular man-made substances were to blame. These ozone-depleting compounds were first used in a variety of industrial and consumer applications, namely refrigerators, air conditioners, and fire extinguishers, in the 1970s.

Under the Montreal Protocol, world governments agreed in the late 1980s to safeguard the Earth’s ozone layer by phasing out ozone-depleting compounds released by human activities. The Protocol is implemented in Europe by EU-wide legislation that not only satisfies the Protocol’s aims but also includes harsher, more ambitious requirements.

Global action under the Montreal Protocol has stopped ozone layer loss and enabled it to begin rebuilding, but more work has to be done to maintain a steady rebound.