Concern over the widespread use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and their environmental implications had worsened by the 1970s. CFCs are typically associated with aerosols, solvents, refrigerants, and local anesthetics. In 1974, The University of California Scientists Irvine Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina recognized that CFCs could deplete the ozone layer, prompting a universal phasing out of CFCs.
By the mid-1980s, considerable research in the Antarctic by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) discovered what is now known as the ‘Ozone Hole’, a gradual deterioration in the ozone layer that covered the entire continent of Antarctica.
BAS scientists Joe Farman, Brian Gardiner, and Jonathan Shanklin announced this breakthrough in the Journal Nature. This historic uncovering alarmed scientists to the knowledge of the devastating impact CFCs had on the gradual depletion of the ozone layer.
Following the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer in March 1985, the necessary protocol was adopted for worldwide cooperative ozone layer protection. Signed by 28 countries, the convention led to the creation of the Montreal Protocol. The Protocol directs attention towards reducing the consumption of CFCs and other harmful substances that diminish the ozone layer.
Over 100 harmful substances are allocated into Annexes, labeled A-F, including such chemical groups as CFCs, Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The methods of are ultimately dependent on the Annex, but the primary goal is to gradually reduce, eventually phase out, and eliminate the substances from worldwide consumption.
Every year, World Ozone Day is celebrated with a new theme. The 2023 theme was: ‘Montreal Protocol: Fixing the Ozone Layer and Reducing Climate Change’. This year: ‘Ozone for Life’.