Montreal Protocol - Environment Notes
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an agreement that was
established to safeguard the ozone layer of the Earth by gradually banning the compounds that
damage it. The production and consumption of ozone-depleting chemicals are both covered by this
phase-out strategy. This historic agreement was ratified in 1989 after being agreed upon in 1987. It
is the first United Nations convention to have been adopted by every nation in the globe with 197
Parties (196 UN member states plus the EU). This article will explain to you about Montreal
Protocol which will be helpful in preparing the Environment Syllabus for the UPSC Civil Service
exam.
What is Ozone Layer?
A natural gas barrier in the upper atmosphere called the ozone layer shields people and other
living things from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Ozone (O3) exists in modest amounts throughout the atmosphere, but the majority of it (about
90%) is found in the stratosphere, a layer between 10 and 50 km above the earth's surface.
The majority of the sun's biologically hazardous UV radiation is filtered away by this ozone
layer, which serves a crucial function.
Ozone
Ozone (O3) is a colorless, reactive oxidant gas that is a major constituent of atmospheric smog.
Both the upper atmosphere of the Earth and its surface are home to ozone, a gas made up of three oxygen
atoms.
Depending on where it is in the atmosphere, ozone can either be "good" or "bad" for the environment and your
health.
Even at low concentrations, the unpleasant, pale blue gas known as ozone is explosive and dangerous.
In India, the ozone problem is essentially a "sunny weather concern," as sunlight directly affects the
development of ground-level ozone.
Photochemical processes are aided by the catalytic effect of heat. As a result, summertime is when ozone
concentrations are at their highest.
Ozone Layer Depletion
This is a representation of the atmosphere's protective ozone layer becoming thinner.
Concentrations of ozone in the atmosphere vary naturally according to temperature, weather,
latitude, and altitude.
Furthermore, substances ejected by natural events such as volcanic eruptions can have
measurable impacts on ozone levels.
However, natural phenomena cannot explain the current levels of ozone depletion.
The scientific evidence shows that certain man-made chemicals are responsible for the
creation of the Antarctic ozone hole and the global ozone losses.
These chemicals are industrial gases that have been used for many years in a range of
products and applications including aerosol sprays, refrigerators, air conditioners, fire
extinguishers, and crop fumigation.
ODS (Ozone Depleting substances) are broken down by sunlight in the stratosphere,
producing halogen (e.g. chlorine or bromine) atoms, which subsequently destroy ozone
through a complex catalytic cycle.
At the South Pole, where extremely low stratospheric temperatures throughout the winter
form polar stratospheric clouds, ozone degradation is at its highest.
These clouds' ice crystals increase the surface area available for chemical reactions, speeding
up catalytic cycles.
Since sunlight is used to destroy ozone, the process is accelerated during spring, when solar
radiation levels at the pole are at their peak and polar stratospheric clouds are continuously
present.
Montreal Protocol - Background
Ozone depletion and its effects on the environment and human health started to become
obvious by 1985 due to scientific developments.
As a result, the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was established.
The Vienna Convention, which entered into force in 1988 and was ratified by all nations in
2009, was the first convention of any kind to be signed by all parties.
The Convention aims to encourage international collaboration by exchanging data on how
human activity affects the ozone layer.
However, because the Vienna Convention is not legally binding, it does not compel nations to
take control measures to safeguard the ozone layer.
The Montreal protocol was later developed to overcome this problem.
What is Montreal Protocol?
The Montreal Protocol was created to reduce the production and consumption of ozone
depleting substances and protect the earth's vulnerable ozone layer.
On September 16, 1987, the treaty was opened for signature, and it entered into force on
January 1, 1989, following a first meeting in Helsinki in May 1989.
The Protocol's parties meet once a year to make decisions that will ensure the agreement's
successful implementation.
The Protocol has been adjusted or amended seven times since its inception - in 1990
(London), 1991 (Nairobi), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1993 (Bangkok), 1995 (Vienna), 1997
(Montreal), and 1999 (Beijing).
The Kigali Amendment, the most recent amendment, called for the phase-out of
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in 2016.
These HFCs were used to replace a batch of ozone-depleting substances that had been phased
out under the original Montreal Protocol.
They are known to be powerful greenhouse gases and thus contributors to climate change,
despite the fact that they do not deplete the ozone layer.
The Montreal Protocol established a set of practical, actionable tasks on which everyone
agreed.
Montreal Protocol - Salient Features
A number of classes of halogenated hydrocarbons that destroy stratospheric ozone are the
foundation of the agreement.
Chlorine or bromine is a component of any substance regulated by the Montreal Protocol that
damages ozone (substances containing only fluorine do not harm the ozone layer).
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is one of the ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) that the Montreal
Protocol does not yet regulate.
The treaty specifies a timeline for when manufacturing of each category of ODS must stop
and thereafter be completely eradicated.
A 10-year phase-in period was given for the developing nations mentioned in Article 5 of the
agreement.
Montreal Protocol - Functions
It gradually reduces the consumption of ODSs over a certain period of time.
It provides several timelines for both developing and developed nations.
In terms of phasing out different categories of ozone-depleting compounds, regulating the
trade in ODS, reporting data yearly, regulating the export and import of ODs, etc., all member
parties have special obligations.
The responsibilities of developing and developed nations are equivalent yet distinct.
However, the treaty is effective because it includes time-bound, legally-binding, and
measurable obligations from both sets of countries.
The protocol contains a clause that allows it to be modified and updated in light of recent
advances in science, business, and technology.
Montreal Protocol - Multilateral Fund
For the purposes of carrying out the Montreal Protocol, the Multilateral Fund was created in
1991.
The goal of the Fund is to give developing nations with annual per capita use and production
of ODS of less than 0.3 kg financial and technical support.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN
Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the World Bank, along with bilateral
organisations from non-Article 5 nations, carry out the functions of the Multilateral Fund.
Phase out of HCFCs – the Montreal Amendment
Montreal Protocol: Phase out of HCFCs – the Montreal Amendment
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are gases that are used in foam applications, air
conditioning, and refrigeration systems all over the world. However, the Montreal Protocol is
phasing them out since they damage the ozone layer.
HCFCs are both ODS and potent greenhouse gases; the most widely used HCFC has a global
warming potential about 2,000 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (GWP).
The Parties made the decision to move up the phase-out of HCFCs in September 2007. By
2020, developed nations were supposed to totally phase them out.
Developing nations agreed to begin their phase-out process in 2013 and are already doing so
in a step-by-step manner until all HCFCs have been phased out by 2030.
Montreal protocol: Phase out of HCFCs – the Kigali Amendment
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) were introduced as non-ozone depleting alternatives to aid in the
timely phase out of CFCs and HCFCs.
HFCs are now found in a wide range of products, including air conditioners, refrigerators,
aerosols, foams, and other household items.
While these chemicals do not deplete the stratospheric ozone layer, they do have high global
warming potentials (GWPs) ranging from 12 to 14,000.
Overall HFC emissions are increasing at an annual rate of 8%, and annual emissions are
expected to increase to 7-19% of global CO2 emissions by 2050.
As a result, uncontrolled growth in HFC emissions complicates efforts to keep global
temperature rise to or below 2°C this century. To protect the climate system, immediate action
on HFCs is required.
The Montreal Protocol Parties agreed to phase down HFCs at their 28th Meeting of the
Parties on October 15, 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda.
Countries agreed to add HFCs to the list of controlled substances and set a timetable for
reducing them by 80-85 percent by the late 2040s.
The first developed-country cuts are expected in 2019. Developing countries will follow suit
by freezing HFC consumption levels in 2024, and in some cases in 2028.
Montreal Protocol - Outcomes
The Montreal Protocol has been mostly effective in fulfilling its goal of repairing the damage
done to the ozone layer owing to universal ratification and a time-bound contractual
framework.
It has been regarded as the most effective international environmental measure implemented
by nations.
The most significant chlorofluorocarbons and associated chlorinated hydrocarbons have seen
their atmospheric concentrations level off or decrease thanks to the Protocol.
Halon concentrations have increased, but their rate of increase has decreased, and by 2020,
their concentration is predicted to diminish.
The Protocol has been successful in communicating with the worldwide market clearly.
Over 280 million cases of skin cancer, nearly 1.6 million skin cancer deaths, and millions of
cataract cases are anticipated to be avoided with the complete implementation of the Montreal
Protocol.
By 2050, the ozone layer is anticipated to recover thanks to the Protocol.
Compared to 1990 levels, Parties to the Protocol have been able to phase out 98 percent of
ODSs.
Since the majority of ODSs are also greenhouse gases, the Protocol also aids in the fight
against global warming.
The protocol is thought to have contributed to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 135
gigatons of carbon dioxide, or 11 gigatons per year, between 1990 and 2010.
A Protocol amendment known as the Kigali Amendment has assisted in reducing HFC
emissions and the rise in global temperatures.
Montreal Protocol and India
Montreal Protocol and India
In 1992, India formally ratified the Montreal Protocol. Due to its position as an Article 5
nation, India is entitled to support from the Multilateral Fund as it transitions away from
ODSs and toward non-ODS technologies.
Of the 20 chemicals regulated by the Protocol, India produced and used 7 primarily. They are
Methyl Chloroform, Methyl Bromide, Carbon Tetrachloride, Halon-1301, Halon-1211, CFC-
11, CFC113, and CFC-12.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change is in charge of carrying out the
Montreal Protocol in India.
To carry out the Protocol, the Ministry created the Ozone Cell.
The Ministry has published the Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Rules
2000 in accordance with the National Strategy for ODS Phaseout.
CFCs are forbidden from being used in the production of many products.
They mandate the registration of ODS vendors, importers, stockists, and producers.
Conclusion
The Montreal Protocol is widely regarded as one of the most successful environmental treaties of all
time. What the Protocol's parties have accomplished since 1987 is unprecedented, and it continues to
serve as an inspiration for what international cooperation at its best can achieve. The Protocol has thus
far met its objectives and is still protecting the ozone layer today.
India and the Montreal Protocol
India became a signatory to the Montreal Protocol in 1992.
1. India is an Article 5 country and is entitled to assistance from the Multilateral Fund in its
efforts to phase out ODSs and switch over to non-ODS technologies.
2. India mainly manufactured and utilized 7 of the 20 substances controlled under the Protocol.
These are CFC-11, CFC113, CFC-12, Halon-1301, Halon-1211, Carbon tetrachloride, Methyl
Bromide and Methyl Chloroform.
3. In India, the implementation of the Montreal Protocol comes within the ambit of the Ministry
of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change.
4. The Ministry has established an Ozone Cell to implement the Protocol.
5. As per the National Strategy for ODS Phaseout, the Ministry has notified the Ozone
Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000.
Rules prohibit the use of CFCs in manufacturing various products.
They provide for the mandatory registration of ODS producers, sellers, importers, and
stockists.
