Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 8 • Number 21 • 28th November 2008

The Montreal Protocol: New Initiatives to Tackle Climate-damaging Substances

Discuss this articleShare your views with other visitors, and read what they have to say

Last week the parties of the Montreal Protocol and the Vienna Convention met in Doha to continue their work on reducing ozone-depleting substances. The parties undertook new initiatives to increase efficiency and even further reduce the presence of climate-threatening substances.

Since its creation in 1987, the Montreal Protocol has successfully phased out more than 95 percent of 97 ozone-depleting substances. According to scientists, its efforts have delayed climate change by up to 12 years and eliminated the equivalent of 135 billion tonnes of CO2 between 1990 and 2010. It has been hailed as an exceptional example of international cooperation against climate change.

The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Greenhouse Gas Bulletin released on Tuesday shows that while levels of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere have been reduced, levels of greenhouse gasses are still rising. Venturing beyond the Protocol’s traditional focus on ozone-depleting substances, the parties began discussions on adopting some greenhouse gasses that were formerly under the purview of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“In a world of scarce financial resources, maximizing the impacts of the various multilateral environmental agreements is paramount,” said Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme. “Governments have made it clear that there can be multiple benefits if the experiences of the Montreal Protocol and the UN climate change convention can be better shared to reinforce mutual aims.”

Thanks to the Montreal Protocol, climate-damaging substances, like those found in aerosols, refrigerants, and fire-fighting equipment, have largely been phased out of production. However, many of these products that were manufactured prior to their phase out remain in existence and are reaching their end of life. If not collected and disposed of properly, experts estimate that by 2015 they could release the equivalent of several billion metric tonnes of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.

Last week’s meeting produced a new initiative to dispose of these stockpiled ozone-depleting substances. Military personnel from Australia, the Netherlands, and the United States have agreed to aid countries in the disposal of climate-damaging materials at an expected cost of less than a third of the current market price.

In the interest of increasing efficiency and minimizing environmental impact, the Montreal Protocol will create an international clearinghouse to match holders of climate-damaging material with those who have the capacity to dispose of it. The clearinghouse is intended to minimise the geographical distance needed for transport and with measures taken to ensure compliance with Basel Convention rules on international waste trade.

The meeting also announced plans for a new ozone-monitoring grounds station in Qatar which would be the first in West Asia.

Additional Resources

The WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin can be found here: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/gaw/ghg/documents/ghg-bulletin-4-final-english.pdf

“Military Enlisted to Combat Climate Change and Ozone Layer Damage,” UNEP press release 20 November 2008; “Military Experts Enlisted to Dispose of Ozone-Damaging Chemicals,” ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS SERVICE 20 November 2008.