Ozone treaty reaches universal participation

Thursday, 17 September 2009 10:23

The pacific nation of Timor-Leste has with its signature made the Montreal Protocol the first global environmental agreement to achieve universal ratification by 196 parties.  The  treaty was established to protect the ozone layer, which shields all life on Earth from deadly levels of ultra violet rays.

Today, on the international day for the preservation of the Ozone layer, Mr. Xanana Gusmão, the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, announced that it had ratified the Montreal Protocol.

"Timor-Leste is very pleased to be joining the rest of the world in the fight against the depletion of the ozone layer and the effort towards its recovery. We are proud to be part of this important process to protect the ozone layer and undertake to implement and comply with the Montreal Protocol like all other States that preceded us in this important journey," Mr. Gusmão said.

The Montreal Protocol, established to phase-out the pollutants that were damaging the planet's protective shield, will in just three months' time have completely retired close to 100 chemicals linked with ozone damage.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said:" The ratification by Timor-Leste makes this special day even more special and a signal that when the world fully and wholly unites around an environmental challenge there can be multiple and transformative effects".

"Without the Montreal Protocol and its Vienna Convention, atmospheric levels of ozone-depleting substances would have increased tenfold by 2050 which in turn could have led to up to 20 million more cases of skin cancer and 130 million more cases of eye cataracts, not to speak of damage to human immune systems, wildlife and agriculture," he added.

The Montreal Protocol

-The Montreal Protocol focuses on the protection of the earth's ozone layer. This treaty has enabled both developed and developing countries to achieve a near total phase-out in the production and use of most ozone depleting substances.

-Because the majority of ozone depleting substances are also potent global warming gasses, the actions taken under the Montreal Protocol have contributed significantly to the global effort to address climate change.

- It is estimated that without the Protocol, by the year 2050 ozone depletion would have risen to at least 50% in the northern hemisphere's mid latitudes and 70% in the southern mid latitudes, about 10 times worse than current levels;

- The Montreal Protocol is estimated to have prevented:
19 million more cases of non-melanoma cancer
1.5 million more cases of melanoma cancer
130 million more cases of eye cataracts

Source: UNEP

Read the UN Secretary General message on the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.