Montreal Protocol

The Montreal Protocol is a 1987 international treaty that phases out the production and consumption of substances that deplete Earth’s ozone layer.

Ozone-depleting substances: Chemicals that destroy stratospheric ozone through atmospheric reactions, including chlorofluorocarbons and halons. The treaty targets this class of chemicals for production and consumption controls.
Ozone layer: A region of the stratosphere with elevated ozone concentrations that absorbs much of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Protecting this atmospheric region is the treaty’s central purpose.
Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer: A 1985 international framework convention establishing cooperation on ozone research, monitoring, and protection. It created the diplomatic framework from which the Montreal Protocol emerged.
Kyoto Protocol: A 1997 climate treaty that set binding greenhouse-gas reduction targets for participating industrialized countries. Unlike the Montreal Protocol, it addressed climate change through emissions targets.
Ozone-depleting substances licensing system: A national system for authorizing and tracking imports and exports of controlled ozone-depleting substances. Licensing helps governments monitor trade and enforce treaty controls.
Chlorofluorocarbons: Synthetic compounds once widely used in refrigeration, aerosols, and foam production that release ozone-destroying chlorine in the stratosphere. Their widespread use made them an early priority for phaseout.
Ozone depletion: The reduction of stratospheric ozone caused chiefly by human-made chemicals that release chlorine or bromine. The treaty was designed to halt and reverse this chemical-driven loss.
Susan Solomon: An atmospheric chemist whose research helped explain the chemical processes behind the Antarctic ozone hole. Her work clarified how chlorine chemistry drives Antarctic ozone loss.
Paris Agreement: A 2015 climate treaty in which countries submit and strengthen national plans to limit global warming. Its nationally determined pledges differ from the Montreal Protocol’s chemical phaseout schedules.
Refrigerant recovery: The collection of refrigerants from equipment for reuse, recycling, or destruction rather than release into the atmosphere. Recovery reduces emissions from equipment containing controlled substances.

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