Montreal Protocol

Why is in news? International Day for Preservation of Ozone Layer: Montreal Protocol@35

• In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 16 September the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date of the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
• The theme for the 2022 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is 'Montreal Protocol@35: global cooperation' protecting life on earth.
• The theme recognises the wider impact the Montreal Protocol has on climate change and the need to act in collaboration, forge partnerships and develop global cooperation to address climate challenges and protect life on earth for future generations.
• The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet. A number of commonly used chemicals have been found to be extremely damaging to the ozone layer.
• The mechanism to the reduction of depletion of ozone is formalized in the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. It was adopted and signed by 28 countries, on 22nd March 1985.
• In September 1987, this led to the drafting of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. It is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS).
• ODSs include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), bromine containing halons and methyl bromide, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), and methyl chloroform.
• These ODSs are long-lived (e.g., CFC-12 has a lifetime greater than 100 years) and are also powerful GHGs.
• On 16th September 2009, the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol became the first treaties in the history of the United Nations to achieve universal ratification.