Montreal Protocol

In 1987, Montreal was the site of the first Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer of 1985. Forty-eight states signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, and accordingly agreed to phase out their production of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to 50% by 1999. Since 1989, the European Union has banned all CFCs. Today, the Montreal Protocol is considered among the most successful international environmental agreements, and is seen by many as a potential model for more difficult climate change negotiations.

Further Readings: 
  • Benedick, Richard E. Ozone Diplomacy: New Directions in Safeguarding the Planet. Enlarged ed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998.
Day: 
16
Month: 
9
Year: 
1987