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News: The 2025 Antarctic ozone hole was among the smallest in recent decades, reflecting the continuing recovery of the ozone layer.
About Montreal Protocol
- Montreal Protocol is a landmark multilateral environmental agreement that regulates the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS).
- Adoption: It was adopted on 16 September 1987, which is commemorated as World Ozone Day.
- Entry into Force: It entered into force on 1 January 1989.
- Universal Ratification: It achieved universal ratification by all 197 UN member states.
- Parent Convention: The Montreal Protocol sits under the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985).
- Target Substances: It regulates nearly 100 synthetic chemicals, including CFCs, halons, HCFCs, carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform.
- Governance: The Meeting of the Parties is the governance body of the Montreal Protocol.
- The Open-ended Working Group provides technical support to the Parties.
- The Ozone Secretariat assists the Parties and is based at the UN Environment Programme headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Financial Mechanism: The Multilateral Fund provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries (Article 5 countries) to help them shift to alternative, non-ODS technologies.
- Key Amendments:
- London Amendment (1990): Added new ODS, including methyl chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, to the phase-out schedule.
- Copenhagen Amendment (1992): Accelerated phase-out dates and included methyl bromide.
- Kigali Amendment (2016): Introduced a phase-down of HFCs, which are powerful greenhouse gases despite not depleting ozone.
- It targets an 80–85% reduction in HFC consumption and production by the late 2040s.
India’s Stance
- India signed the Montreal Protocol in 1992 .
- Implementation: Implementation in India is managed by the Ozone Cell.
- Institutional Support: The Ozone Cell functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
- Regulatory Framework: Implementation is supported by the Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.
- Kigali Amendment: India ratified the Kigali Amendment in September 2021.
- India aims to reduce HFC consumption by 85% by 2047 from its 2024–26 baseline.
