Saturday, 16 September, is World Ozone Day, marking 36 years of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This year’s theme is “Montreal Protocol: fixing the ozone layer and reducing climate change”.
As one of the world’s most successful international environmental treaties, the Montreal Protocol has guided global action to phase out ozone damaging substances.
As chemicals that damage the ozone layer are also strong greenhouse gases, protecting the ozone layer has also protected the climate. Modelling suggests that in the absence of the Montreal Protocol, global temperatures would have risen by more than 2 degrees Celsius by 2070 due to warming from ozone depleting substances alone.
Australia has taken a leadership role in the Montreal Protocol, including in expanding it through the Kigali Amendment to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent synthetic greenhouse gases which replaced ozone depleting substances for many uses. Australia’s HFC phase-down is estimated to reduce Australia greenhouse gas emissions by 23 million tonnes between 2018 and 2030, contributing to Australia’s target of 43% emissions reduction by 2030.
