The Montreal Protocol and the green economy : assessing the contributions and co-benefits of a Multilateral Environmental Agreement

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was agreed in September 1987 as an international response to the significant threats to the environment and human health posed by continued use of ozone depleting substances (ODS) in the global economy. The treaty protects the ozone layer by establishing controls for the consumption and production of these chemicals, used in a great many industrial, commercial and consumer applications across a range of economic sectors. The agreement included a 50 per cent phase down of CFCs and a freeze on halons, only for developed countries.