Experts reveal major holes in international ozone treaty
Major holes in ozone hole treaty must be addressed to avert stronger
climate change and serious risks to human health, experts warn

Date:
August 26, 2020
Source:
University of Sussex
Summary:
Scientists have revealed major holes in an international treaty
designed to help repair the ozone layer, putting human health at
risk and affecting climate.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new paper, co-authored by a University of Sussex scientist, has revealed major holes in an international treaty designed to help repair the ozone
layer, putting human health at risk and affecting climate.


========================================================================== Evidence amassed by scientists in the 1970s and 1980s showed that the
depletion of the ozone layer in the stratosphere was one of the first
truly global threats to humanity.

Chemicals produced through economic activity were slowly drifting to
the upper atmosphere where they were destroying the ozone layer, which
plays an indispensable role in protecting humanity and ecosystems by
absorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

In 1987, countries signed up to a treaty to take reparative action, known
as the 'Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer,
which was eventually ratified by all 197 UN member states.' But in a
paper published today in Nature Communications, experts have flagged
major gaps in the treaty which must be addressed if the ozone layer is
to be repaired and avert the risks posed to human health and the climate.

Professor Joseph Alcamo, Director of the Sussex Sustainability Research Programme and former Chief Scientist at UNEP, said: "The Montreal
Protocol and its amendments have no doubt been an effective worldwide
effort to control the toughest substances depleting the ozone. But our
paper shows that the treaty has developed too many gaps to fully repair
the ozone layer. It's time to plug the holes in the ozone hole treaty." Professor Alcamo, along with lead author Professor Susan Solomon of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and co-author Professor A. R.

Ravishankara of Colorado State University, have identified several 'gaps'
which consist of ozone depleting substances not covered in the treaty.



========================================================================== These include:
* Unaccounted for new sources of CFC and HFC emissions recently
detected in
the atmosphere.

* Leakages of ozone depleting substances from old air conditioners,
refrigerators and insulating foams.

* Inadvertent releases of ozone-depleting gases from some
manufacturing
processes.

* Emissions of the ozone-depleting gas, nitrous oxide, stemming
mostly from
agricultural activities.

The authors have called for a range of solutions to plug the gaps
including:
* A toughening of compliance with the treaty by using provisions
that are
already part of the Montreal Protocol.

* Boosting the effectiveness of the treaty by adding in regular
environmental monitoring of ozone-depleting substances.

* Controlling the emissions of substances that have slipped through
the
treaty up to now, including nitrous oxide emissions from
agriculture, and ozone-depleting substances leaking from old
refrigerators and other equipment.

* In addition, because ozone-depleting substances and their
substitutes
contribute significantly to global warming, the authors urge a
faster phasing out of all of these substances as a way of combatting
climate change.

The ozone layer absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun but
this protective layer is slowly destroyed by industrial gases that slowly
drift up from the earth's surface including CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) contained in refrigerants, foaming agents and, earlier, propellants in
aerosol sprays.

Discovery of the 'ozone hole' above high latitudes in the 1980s provided
final evidence of the importance of ozone depletion.

By 1985, countries had signed the Vienna Convention, which pledged
to reduce CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances. Two years later,
they signed the Montreal Protocol that laid out a plan of action.



========================================================================== During his time as the first Chief Scientist of UNEP, which hosts the Secretariat of the Montreal Protocol, Professor Alcamo coordinated groups
of scientists in producing policy-oriented reports that addressed emerging ozone depletion issues.

UNEP reports that 98% of the chemicals targeted for removal in the
Montreal Protocol had been phased out by 2009, avoiding hundreds of
millions of cases of skin cancer and tens of millions of cases of
cataracts. However, this new paper shows that some important sources
were not targeted by the Protocol -- and urgently need to be now.

Professor Alcamo said: "Since most ozone-depleting gases and their
current substitutes are also potent greenhouse gases, it's time to use
the Montreal Protocol to draw down these gases even faster to help avoid dangerous global warming.

"We won't be able to reach the global Sustainable Development Goals by
2030 without closing the gaps in the ozone treaty. It's hard to imagine,
for example, how the global health and climate goals could be reached
without drastically drawing down all ozone-depleting gases and their substitutes. If we fail, humanity will have to face a higher risk of
skin cancers and more rapid climate change."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Sussex. Original written
by Stephanie Allen. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Susan Solomon, Joseph Alcamo, A. R. Ravishankara. Unfinished
business
after five decades of ozone-layer science and policy. Nature
Communications, 2020; 11 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18052-0 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200826083036.htm

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