Committee on Sustainable Development
"Sustainable Development is development that
meets the needs of the present
without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"
Ozone Layer
Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer as basis
The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985), which outlines states' responsibilities for protecting human health and the environment against the adverse effects of ozone depletion, established the framework under which the Montreal Protocol was negotiated.
Montreal
Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is a
milestone of international agreement planned to protect the stratospheric
ozone layer. The agreement was originally signed in 1987 and substantially
adapted in 1990 and 1992.
Phase-out of Harmful Compounds
The Montreal Protocol required that the production and consumption of
compounds that deplete ozone in the stratosphere - chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs),
halons, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform - are to be phased
out by 2000 (2005 for methyl chloroform). Scientific theory and evidence
suggest that, once emitted to the atmosphere, these compounds could significantly
deplete the stratospheric ozone layer that shields the planet from damaging
UV-B radiation. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
has prepared a Montreal Protocol Handbook that provides additional details
and explanations of the provisions. (CIESIN's Thematic Guide on Ozone
Depletion and Global Environmental Change presents an in-depth look at
causes, human and environmental effects, and policy responses to stratospheric
ozone depletion)....>>>