What is the Government Doing?
Introduction
In 1985 an agreement was made between many countries of the world to investigate and monitor chemicals that destroy ozone. This was called the Vienna Convention, and in the same year the hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic was discovered.
Two years later, in 1987, an agreement was signed between 24 countries. This was called the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The Protocol required all the countries that signed it to reduce their use of CFCs and other ozone-destroying substances.
The Protocol
The Montreal Protocol was the first international agreement where countries were legally required to reduce and eventually phase out ozone-destroying chemicals. Stiff penalties were given to countries that didn't keep to the agreement.
In most cases it has been quite easy to develop and use other substances to replace CFCs. The use of CFCs in aerosols and foam has already been stopped in most countries.
However, the replacement of CFCs in fridges and other cooling equipment and insulating materials has not been so easy.
Developing countries were given 10 years to reduce their uses of CFCs, as they have less money to develop alternatives. China and India however, are still increasing their use of air conditioning and cooling equipment. It is much cheaper to use CFCs rather than the alternative chemicals that don't harm ozone.
A fund has been set up between the richer countries of the world to help these countries to use more environmentally-friendly technologies.
The destruction of the ozone layer is a world-wide problem, and is not confined to the area of the ozone layer above those countries that produce ozone-depleting chemicals. It is necessary for all countries to co-operate with each other to overcome the problem.
Can Ozone Destruction Be Reversed?
The hole in the ozone layer can be repaired if the levels of all ozone-destroying chemicals are reduced. The natural balance of ozone creation and destruction would then be restored. The Montreal Protocol has gone a long way to achieving this. However, it is thought despite the reduction in the use of CFCs, the ozone hole will not fully repair itself until the middle of the 21st Century.