Signing of the Montreal Protocol to Reduce Use of Chemicals Harmful to the Ozone Layer. Photo. 1987, Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society Archives.
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The Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, is an international treaty designed to phase out substances that deplete the ozone layer, which protects Earth from harmful radiation. The treaty was a response to alarming discoveries in the 1970s and 1980s showing that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other human-made chemicals were creating a hole in the ozone layer, especially over Antarctica. It has undergone multiple amendments and adjustments, including the Kigali Amendment in 2016, which targets hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent greenhouse gases. The Protocol has been ratified by 197 countries and the European Union, making it the first universally ratified treaty in United Nations history, and is considered one of the most successful environmental agreements. As a result of its implementation, the ozone layer is expected to recover by the middle of the 21st century. The Montreal Protocol set the stage for more global cooperation on environmental issues, linking science, policy, and diplomacy.
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