13 November 2018
Montreal Protocol Scientific Assessment Affirms Potential of Ozone Action to Reduce Global Warming
UN Photo/Mark Garten
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The assessment concludes that ozone in parts of the stratosphere has recovered at a rate of 1-3% since 2000.

The Kigali Amendment is expected to enter into force on 1 January 2019, following which climate warming gases in refrigerators, air conditioners and related products will be reduced.

5 November 2018: Healing the ozone layer can help reduce global warming, according to an assessment published by the Montreal Protocol’s Scientific Assessment Panel (SAP). The assessment finds that the concentration of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) has continued to decrease since the previous assessment was carried out in 2014.

The ‘Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2018’ concludes that ozone in parts of the stratosphere has recovered at a rate of 1-3% since 2000, while the Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone is projected to completely heal by the 2030s, the Southern Hemisphere ozone in the 2050s and polar regions ozone by 2060. The assessment was released during the 30th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (MOP 30), which met in Quito, Ecuador, from 5-9 November.

If fully implemented, the Kigali Amendment can avoid up to 0.4°C of global warming this century.

The assessment finds that the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, if fully implemented, can avoid up to 0.4°C of global warming this century and help keep the global temperature rise to below 2°C above preindustrial levels, thereby contributing to the long-term goal of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The Kigali Amendment is expected to enter into force on 1 January 2019, following which climate warming gases in refrigerators, air conditioners and related products will be reduced. It aims to cut projected production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by more than 80%, and will reduce future global warming from HFCs by about 50% between now and 2050 compared to a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario.

The Assessment also presents updated scenarios for accelerating ozone recovery through:

  • elimination of controlled and uncontrolled emissions of substances, such as carbon tetrachloride and dichloromethane;
  • bank recapture and destruction of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs);
  • elimination of HCFC and methyl bromide production; and
  • mitigation of nitrous oxide emissions.

Published every four years, the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion monitors the recovery of ozone in the stratosphere. The Montreal Protocol is celebrating its 30-year anniversary and is considered by many to be one of the most successful multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) in history. [Publication: Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2018: Executive Summary] [UN Environment Press Release] [UNFCCC Press Release] [UN News Story] [WMO Press Release] [IISD RS Coverage of MOP 30]


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