The Montreal Protocol on Substances, 1987 to reduce the Ozone Layer is a landmark agreement and seems to be a successful treaty which has achieved to reduce the global production, consumption, and emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODSs). The climate protection achieved already by this Protocol alone is far larger than the reduction target of the first commitment mentioned in the Kyoto Protocol. Additional climate protection benefits that are significant compared to the Kyoto Protocol and its reduction target might be achieved if the actions under the Montreal Protocol are exhaustively implement in the way of managing emissions of substitute fluorocarbon gases and implementing alternative gases with lower global warming potentials.
The said protocol enabled to implement a suitable and better implementing framework towards reduction of ozone layer depletion. That’s why; the landmark treaty is enabled to take legal measures for reducing production and utilization of ozone layer depleting substances.
The key attributes of this treaty which makes it as distinctive legal instruments are may be like as follows:
• It has taken precautionary measures towards CFC emissions
• The treaty has successfully included controlled measures upon using and production of harmful substances.
• It identified 96 substances which are causing harmful effects upon ozone layer depletion
• It confirmed two types of groups identifying harmful substances and under which are thought to be depleting ozone layer
• It divided chlorines in group A and Halon in group B
• In consideration of necessity of the developing states, in 1990 it included monetary aid ,technological support and alternative technology for those states /developing countries
• The said listed developing countries got addition 10 years grace period to achieve the targets
The key legal bindings or responsibilities which incorporated in Montreal protocol are as follows:
1. That the signatory states shall accept a series of step to limit, the use and production of CFC from 1991 to 1992 its levels of consumption and production of the controlled substances in Group I of Annex A should not exceed 150 percent of its calculated levels of production and consumption of those substances in 1986.
2. That the signatory states shall confirm the level of utilizations of depleting substances mentioned in Annex –A as the same it used in 1986 within 19 month after ratification of this agreement.
3. That the signatory states shall confirm the most commonly used of the chemicals controlled by the Protocol were chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs. These chemicals were widely used in a large variety of activities and products including refrigeration, foams and metals cleaning. By 2010, CFCs have been virtually phased out worldwide.
4. The signatory states shall take initiatives to reduce halons, which were used as fire fighting agents in everything from extinguishers to total flooding systems in computer rooms. The global community has phased out new production of these chemicals.
5. In accordance with the amendments the said states have to stop all production and utilization of Carbon tetrachloride, another commonly used ozone depleting substance which was used primarily as an industrial cleaning in the chips. Developed countries phased out the use of this chemical in 1996, while developing countries achieved a 99% reduction by 2009 and are due to achieve total phase-out in 2010.
Concluding Remarks.
The Montreal Protocol supplements the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. The Protocol is designed to regulate the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS). Controlled substances are listed in four annexes, and their respective phase-out schedules are designed to allow a progressive tightening over time as scientific evidence for ozone depletion trend is strengthened and as substitutes for the ODS in question. The parties committed to reduce production and consumption of CFCs by half by 1998 and to freeze production and consumption of halons by 1992. Developing countries were granted a 10-year grace period to meet both obligations. It was amended in London on 29/06/1990, Copenhagen on 25/11/1992, Montreal on 17/09/1997 and Beijing in December 1999. As a consequence, it can now be said that the entire global community has legally committed itself to meeting specific time-bound targets for the virtual phase-out of nearly 100 chemicals that have ozone depleting substances. In 2012, the Montreal Protocol celebrated its 25th anniversary and the world celebrated its significant environmental achievements, which include the expected recovery of the ozone layer by the middle of the century. It has thought to me that’s the treaty is called addressed the need to reduce emission ODSs (Ozone Depleting substances) in a highly effective and after innovative manner.
