Ratification of the Montreal Protocol
- Date Range
- September 16, 1987 – September 16, 1987
- Title
- Ratification of the Montreal Protocol
- What occurred
- Scientists first noticed global ozone depletion in the late 1970s, and when evidence of the association between ozone depletion and CFC prominence developed, a global effort to curb usage and production of CFCs began. In 1987, representatives from 43 countries signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, in which they agreed to freeze production of CFCs at 1986 levels as well as reduce production by 50% by 1999. This protocol went into effect 1989 following a meeting in Finland, and since then it has undergone many revisions and many new countries have joined. The phase-out schedules for developed and developing countries have continuously changed and new compounds have been added to the list of controlled substances. The protocol became the first universally ratified environmental treaty, so it is not only relevant to American environmental history, although America was one of the leading nations to develop the treaty.
- Location
- 46th St and 1st Ave, New York, NY 10017
- Image Citation
- https://www.epa.gov/history/epa-history-montreal-protocol
- Student name(s)
- Ben Tichner