On the 30th anniversary of Ozone Day, the International Institute for Law and the Environment (IIDMA) highlights the success of the Montreal Protocol—one of the most widely implemented environmental agreements to date—as well as the importance of scientific knowledge in guiding political action.
This Monday, September 16, marks the 30th celebration of International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The United Nations General Assembly chose this date to commemorate the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987.
Thanks to a collaborative international effort, driven by the scientific community, nearly 100 harmful chemicals were regulated to protect the ozone layer. “The Montreal Protocol is one of the most successful multilateral environmental agreements. It introduced measures to counteract ozone depletion that have been implemented and respected by all participating countries,” says Ana Barreira, Director of the International Institute for Law and the Environment (IIDMA).
According to the latest UN report, the ozone layer over Antarctica is expected to recover to 1980 levels by 2066. Recovery in the Arctic will be quicker, expected by 2045, and in the rest of the world by 2060.
Promoting Climate Action
This year, Ozone Day is celebrated under the theme, “Montreal Protocol: Promoting Climate Action.” The organizers aim to celebrate “not only what has been achieved so far, but also to look forward to taking stronger and faster actions to protect the ozone layer, as well as to protect people, the climate, and our planet.” At the 28th Meeting of the Parties on October 15, 2016, in Kigali, Rwanda, a new agreement was reached to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)—organic compounds commonly used in air conditioners and other devices. Though they do not harm the ozone layer, HFCs are potent greenhouse gases.
“The implementation of the Kigali Amendment’s framework for HFC reduction, combined with other energy efficiency measures, could prevent an increase in global average temperature of 0.4°C by the end of the century, making a significant contribution to the climate goals of the Paris Agreement,” notes the IIDMA Director.
Science at the Service of the Environment
The success in combating ozone depletion is largely attributed to the alarm raised in 1985 by geophysicists Joe Farman, Brian Gardiner, and John Shanklin, who published a study in Nature documenting the rapid decline of the ozone layer over Antarctica. The scientists pointed to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), used in everyday products like refrigerants, fungicides, aerosols, and cosmetics. This discovery provided empirical evidence for predictions made a decade earlier by Frank Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina, whose research earned them the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
This is a clear example of how scientific knowledge is essential to inform political action. Recognizing this, IIDMA hosted an event in the Spanish Congress of Deputies last May to promote dialogue between science and policy for establishing climate goals for 2040. Participants included France’s Jean-François Soussana, member of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change; Valvanera Ulargui, Director of the Spanish Office for Climate Change; Peter Møllgaard, President of the Danish Council on Climate Change; Vicky Pollard, Head of Unit at the Directorate-General for Climate Action of the European Commission; José Manuel Gutiérrez, Director of the Institute of Physics of Cantabria; Cristina Narbona, President of the Spanish Congress’s Commission for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge; and Ana Barreira, Director of IIDMA, among others.
[Available on IIDMA’s YouTube channel in Spanish and English]
