Montreal Protocol
Proper noun
Meaning
Montreal Protocol
(international law) An international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion.
Examples
Perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date has been the Montreal Protocol.
Actions taken under an international agreement called the Montreal Protocol have led to decreases in the atmospheric abundance of controlled ozone-depleting substances.
All of the ozone depleting substances controlled by the Montreal Protocol contain either chlorine or bromine (substances containing only fluorine do not harm the ozone layer).
Bromofluoroalkanes have been largely phased out and the possession of equipment for their use is prohibited in some countries like the Netherlands and Belgium, from 1 January 2004, based on the Montreal Protocol and guidelines of the European Union.
And as part of an agreement known as the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol, other countries are working to phase out refrigerants used in air-conditioning units that are also potent greenhouse gases.
Effect Ozone-depleting gas trends Since the Montreal Protocol came into effect, the atmospheric concentrations of the most important chlorofluorocarbons and related chlorinated hydrocarbons have either leveled off or decreased.