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Adjustments to the Montreal
Protocol Would Speed Elimination of Ozone-depleting Substances
March 16, 2007 NOAA— On March
14, 2007, the United States submitted a proposal to adjust the Montreal Protocol
to accelerate the phase-out of ozone-damaging chemicals. The U.S. proposal
includes four elements that can be considered individually or as a package:
1. Accelerating the phase-out
date of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) by 10 years; 2. Adding interim
reduction steps; 3. Setting an earlier baseline; 4. Phasing out the most
damaging HCFCs to the ozone layer as the first priority.
These proposals further U.S.
efforts to address ozone layer protection, cleaner air and climate change by
calling on the global community to act more quickly in phasing out
hydrochlorofluorocarbons.
Today, More Than 190 Countries
Participate In The Montreal Protocol To Phase Out Ozone-Depleting Substances.
With leadership from the United States, the Montreal Protocol was ratified in
1987 by 27 nations. Twenty years later, we have the opportunity to assess the
progress that has been made under the Protocol as well as what remains to be
done. Under The Montreal Protocol's First Stage, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Were
Phased Out In Developed Countries By 1996 And Replaced By Less Harmful HCFCs. We
are now entering the Montreal Protocol's second stage, which aims to phase out
HCFCs by 2030 for developed countries and 2040 for developing countries. The
Proposal Would Speed Up The Phase-Out Of HCFCs Under The Montreal Protocol's
Second Stage. While the Montreal Protocol already has made tremendous strides to
heal the ozone shield, the United States believes more steps can be taken to
reduce HCFC consumption further and achieve a total phaseout sooner than the
scheduled dates. Based on analysis, experience and more rapid technology
development, the U.S. technical team believes we can move faster by as much as
ten years. The U.S. Continues Its Strong Leadership In Ozone Layer Protection.
Since the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987, the U.S. has achieved a 90
percent reduction in the production and consumption of ozone-depleting
substances—ending the production and import of more than 1.7 billion pounds
per year of these chemicals. Faster healing of the ozone layer will help prevent
human health damages caused by excess UV radiation, including skin cancer.
U.S. Actions Under The Current
Montreal Protocol And Clean Air Act Requirements Have Also Helped Protect
Against Climate Change. Ozone-depleting substances—particularly
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)—are damaging to the Earth's climate system. In
2005, the U.S. reduced annual emissions of ozone-depleting substances by 1,500
million CO2-equivalent metric tons per year. U.S. actions achieved a cumulative
emissions reduction of about 13,000 million CO2-equivalent metric tons from
1987-2005 (not accounting for some offset from the influence of ozone depletion
on the climate).
Worldwide, the Montreal Protocol
has cut in half the amount of global warming caused by ozone-destroying
chemicals that would have occurred by 2010 had these chemicals not been
controlled.
NOAA, an agency of the U.S.
Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the
nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas
Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and
Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.
NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the
prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information
service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship
of the nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth
Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal
partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global
monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and
protects.
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