Recent International Developments in Saving the Ozone Layer

Fact Sheets Available on Transitioning to Low-GWP Alternatives

Commercial Refrigeration (PDF, 5 pp, 1.79 MB)
Domestic Refrigeration (PDF, 4 pp, 1.34 MB)
Transport Refrigeration (PDF, 5 pp, 898 KB)
MVAC (PDF, 3 pp, 1.36 MB)
Unitary AC (PDF, 3 pp, 1.37 MB)
Construction Foams (PDF, 5 pp, 4.5 MB)

North American Amendment Proposal to Phase-Down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol

The United States, Canada, and Mexico jointly submitted their latest proposal to phase-down consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer on May 9, 2011. Global benefits of the proposal can yield significant reductions of about 4 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂eq) through 2020 and 98 gigatons of CO₂eq through 2050.

The problem of HFCs is closely linked with the phaseout of ozone-depleting compounds. HFCs were created as alternatives to ozone-depleting substances but they are potent greenhouse gases. Without action, growth in HFC use is anticipated to be driven by the ongoing accelerated phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and increasing global demand for refrigeration and air-conditioning. The North American Amendment proposal builds on the commitment made at the 22nd Meeting of the Parties where 90 countries declared their intent to pursue further action to transition the world to more environmentally sound alternatives to ozone-depleting substances.

The North American Amendment proposal recognizes that there may not be alternatives for all HFC applications and therefore uses a gradual phasedown mechanism with a plateau, as opposed to a phaseout for both developed and developing countries. The proposal also includes provisions to limit HFC-23 byproduct emissions from the production of HCFCs and HFCs.

The proposed amendment first will be discussed at a non-decisional Open-Ended Working Group meeting in August, and then formally at the 23rd Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in November.

For more information on the proposed amendment, please visit the United Nations Environment Programme Ozone Secretariat Web site . Links to specific documents are below:

2011 Submission Cover Letter (2 pp, 581 KB)
2011 Submission Summary (2 pp, 87 KB)
2011 Proposed Amendment Language (9 pp, 28 KB)
2011 Draft Decision Language on HFC-23 By-Product Emissions (2 pp, 88 KB)
2011 Amendment Benefits (Detailed) (10 pp, 124 KB)
2011 Amendment Benefits (Summary) (2 pp, 197 KB)
U.S. Department of State Press Release

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 2009

All UN Nations in the World Agree to Protect Earth's Ozone Layer

Every UN Nation in the world has now officially ratified the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Timor Leste's recent ratification brings the total number of Parties to 196. This is a historic achievement; these two treaties are the first treaties ever to achieve universal ratification. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has provided banners celebrating this achievement here.

Accomplishments from the 19th Meeting of the Parties (2007) in Montreal, Canada

Environmental Benefits of the New, Stronger HCFC Phaseout Agreement

At the 19th Meeting of the Parties in Montreal on September 17-21, 2007, the Parties agreed to more aggressively phase out ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). The agreement to adjust the phase-out schedule for HCFCs is expected to reduce emissions of HCFCs to the atmosphere by 47 percent, compared to the prior commitments under the treaty over the 30-year period of 2010 to 2040. For the developing countries, the agreement means there will be about a 58 percent reduction in HCFCs emission over the 30 year period.

Read more about the HCFC reductions for the U.S., or view a graph showing the HCFC reductions in developing countries, reflecting the agreement at the 19th Meeting in Montreal.

The climate benefits of the stronger HCFC agreement will depend on technology choices of the transition from HCFCs during the 30 year time frame of the HCFC phase out. The estimated climate benefit of the new, stronger HCFC phase out may be as much as 9,000 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO₂eq), or the equivalent of removing the climate emissions from 55 million U.S. passenger cars each year, for the next 30 years. This means the new, stronger HCFC agreement is equivalent to eliminating the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 40 percent of all U.S. passenger cars each year, for the next 30 years.

Another way of explaining the climate benefit of the new, stronger HCFC phaseout agreement is to say it is equivalent to eliminating the climate emissions from the electricity needed by 40 million U.S. households each year, for the next 30 years, which would be eliminating the climate emissions from the electricity needed by 40 percent of U.S. households each year, for the next 30 years.

Read analyses of climate benefits of the overall HCFC agreement at the 19th Meeting in Montreal.

Read analyses of ozone and climate benefits of the U.S. proposal (PDF) (43 pp, 262K, About PDF).

Read more about the HCFC phaseout in the U.S.