Policy Implications from the Montreal Protocol :: Environment Kyoto Essays Papers

Policy Implications from the Montreal Protocol Executive Summary In the mid 1980s, the international community decided to address the issue of ozone depletion. In 1987, the Montreal Protocol was signed, setting out abatement schedules for major ozone depleting substances. Due to several unique factors surrounding the issue of ozone depletion, the Montreal Protocol was, and continues to be, a great success. That being said, there are a number of problems that parties to the agreement have faced over the years, and it is important to learn from these and apply the lessons to future international environmental agreements. For one, trade leakage was a major problem for developed nations under the Montreal Protocol. Moreover, other issues, including illegal trade, technology transfer problems, data collection problems, and conflicts with subsequent environmental agreements have marred the Montreal Protocol, and need to be considered when crafting new abatement policies, such as the Kyoto Protocol. Montreal Protocol Up until the late 1920s, the most common artificial refrigerants were toxic and volatile gases such as ammonia and methyl chloride. It is for this reason that when chemist Thomas Midgley Jr. developed what appeared to be a safe and inert substitute in the form of the family of chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons in 1930, they were soon widely adopted as coolants for both refrigeration and industrial solvents1. It wasn’t until a few decades later, in 1974, that two scientists by the names of F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina proposed that CFC emissions would lead to the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer2. At that time Drs. Rowland and Molina suggested that while inert in the lower atmosphere, when CFC molecules reach the stratosphere and are exposed to ultraviolet radiation they release chlorine atoms that will bond with the atmospheric ozone to form chlorine monoxide. Ten years later, in the mid 1980s, Antarctic researchers discovered a large hole in the ozone layer. This finding seemed to be corroboration of Rowland and Molina’s original findings2. With a depleted ozone layer, higher levels of UV radiation will reach the earth’s surface and cause a range of problems3. These problems can include reduced plant growth, which would have extensive implications for the agricultural sectors around the world; higher mortality of phytoplankton, which could affect marine ecosystems and ultimately fish stocks worldwide; and higher rates of skin cancer and melanoma among humans. â€Å"A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) study [showed] that a sustained 1 percent decrease in stratospheric ozone will result in about a 2 percent increase in the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer, which can be fatal. With the successful phase-out of CFCs, however, EPA expects 295 million fewer cases of this