Fit for 40? Celebrating the Vienna Convention and facing the challenges threatening its legacy
Saturday (22 March) is the 40-year anniversary of the signing of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, an achievement which has stood for four decades as an inspiration for multilateral environmental action.
The Vienna Convention was established in response to scientific evidence that man-made chemicals, particularly chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were causing significant damage to Earth’s stratospheric ozone layer, our planet’s shield against harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
The Convention provided a framework for international cooperation, leading to the adoption of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987, which set the first legally binding targets for phasing out ozone-depleting substances (ODS).
As the first convention to be ratified by every country in the world, the Vienna Convention is widely regarded as one of the most successful environmental treaties ever and a clear demonstration of the power of global collaboration in tackling major challenges.
Where does that leave us today?
Under the Montreal Protocol, countries around the world have now phased out the production of more than 99 per cent of controlled ODS and scientific assessments indicate that, with continued global compliance, the ozone layer is on track to return to pre-1980 levels by the middle of the 21st century.
Without the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol, many millions of people worldwide would have been left more vulnerable to skin cancers and eye cataracts due to increased UV radiation. In fact, it is estimated that the global health benefits secured through our protection of the ozone layer will reach $1.8 trillion by 2060.
In addition, many ODS are potent greenhouse gases, so their phase-out has also avoided hundreds of billions of tonnes of CO2-equivalent (CO2e) emissions.
If these gases had not been phased out, scientists estimate that they would have contributed an additional 0.5-1°C to global warming by 2050, making any hopes of achieving the Paris Agreement’s climate goals impossible.
Strengthening the climate credentials of the ozone treaties even further is the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, under which countries agreed to phase down the production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), widely used as substitutes for controlled ODS.
Although HFCs are not ozone-depleting, they are potent greenhouse gases, often hundreds or thousands of times more powerful than CO2 in terms of their climate impact. If the Kigali Amendment is fully implemented, it could help prevent an additional 0.5°C of global warming by the end of the century.
Job done then, no?
While the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol are environmental success stories, they are not foolproof. In fact, EIA first started campaigning on Montreal Protocol related issues in the mid-1990s, after we investigated the illegal trade in CFCs which had started soon after the substances were first controlled.
CFC cylinder seizure in Jakarta, Indonesia (c) EIA
We cannot afford to be complacent about the implementation of these global treaties, nor ignore new threats to the ozone layer’s fragile recovery or important opportunities to accelerate climate action wherever possible.
That is why EIA has continued to campaign tirelessly for the strengthening of these treaties.
As the Vienna Convention turns 40, it is important to recognise there is still work to do to protect our planet’s UV shield. There are gaps to plug in the scope and enforcement of our ozone treaties and there are growing threats from uncontrolled ODS which, left unchecked, could undo the ozone layer recovery so far achieved.
So, how do we build on past success?
Improving compliance: In 2018, scientists detected unexpected emissions of CFC-11, a banned ODS, which EIA investigations traced back to illegal production in China. During the period 2012-19, these significant emissions slowed the recovery of the ozone layer and had a cumulative climate impact roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of 650 million petrol cars.
This incident highlighted weaknesses in the Montreal Protocol’s monitoring, reporting, verification and enforcement systems, showing that stricter measures are needed to prevent illegal production and trade.
Improved global atmospheric monitoring, an updated compliance mechanism with stronger enforcement and better tracking of chemical production and use are essential to ensuring long-term compliance with the ozone-protection controls under Montreal Protocol.
Production emissions: A significant issue with controlled ODS is that emissions still occur during production, especially through their use as feedstocks – chemicals used to manufacture other substances. Despite the growing threat to the ozone layer and climate posed by increasing production emissions, they are still currently exempt from Montreal Protocol controls.
EIA estimates that preventable emissions from production processes are already equivalent to about 491.94 million tonnes of CO2 per year, comparable in terms of climate impact to the total greenhouse gas emissions of the 65 lowest-emitting countries in 2022. Approximately 197 million CO2e tonnes of these emissions are directly related to feedstock use of controlled substances.
To address the problem, it is increasingly clear we must limit the feedstock exemption under the Montreal Protocol, at least so that it only applies where no feasible alternatives exist. Meanwhile, countries should also commit to preventing, or capturing and destroying, all controlled ODS generated as by-product during production processes.
ODS banks: In this context, the term ‘banks’ refers to the large amounts of controlled ODS still present in old equipment and products. If not properly managed, these substances can leak into the atmosphere, slowing ozone layer recovery and contributing to climate change.
The size of these banks is substantial, with CFC banks alone identified as one of the most effective targets for ozone and climate mitigation if they can be found, recovered and destroyed before their contents are emitted.
Addressing this issue requires proper tracking, recovery and destruction of ODS before they are released. Policies such as extended producer responsibility schemes, better inventory management and financial support for destruction initiatives could help prevent these harmful emissions.
Nitrous oxide: Four decades ago, nitrous oxide (N2O) was recognised under the Vienna Convention as a substance known to deplete the ozone layer. Despite this, controls on the gas were never established under the Montreal Protocol.
Our emissions of N2O have since increased by a staggering 40 per cent and are now responsible for roughly the same level of ozone layer depletion annually as the combined emissions from all other ODS controlled under the Protocol.
The majority of these emissions (which are also a significant driver of climate change) come from agriculture, particularly fertiliser use. Nonetheless, industrial processes such as adipic and nitric acid production also contribute significantly.
While cost-effective technologies exist to reduce industrial N2O emissions by more than 80 per cent, the most heavily emitting countries (the US and China) do not require their use.
Addressing this issue will require integrating N2O into global climate and ozone policies, improving emission controls in industry and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
In the context of the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol, EIA believes controls on industrial emissions can and should be introduced.
Reasons to be cheerful
Although there remain significant challenges to overcome in safeguarding the recovery of the ozone layer – and in ensuring we gain as much climate benefit from our ozone treaties as possible – the 40-year success of the Vienna Convention is still something to celebrate.
At a time when multilateralism feels increasingly strained, the Vienna Convention stands as a reminder that the world can come together to affect positive environmental change – something which is in all our shared interest.
Perhaps the great success of the Vienna Convention, therefore, is the proof that cooperation and collaboration can get results.
So, from all of us at EIA, happy birthday VC!
Opening plenary of the 13th Conference of Parties to the Vienna Convention and 36th Meeting of Parties to the Montreal Protocol, October 2024 (photo by IISD)
