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Clearing the Air

NEARLY TWO-HUNDRED COUNTRIES HAVE AGREED TO QUICKLY PHASE OUT A GROUP OF CHEMICALS KNOWN TO BE DESTROYING OUR ATMOSPHERE. IT’S A SUCCESS STORY OF GLOBAL PROPORTIONS ON TODAY’S ENVIRONMINUTE.

IN NINETEEN-EIGHTY-SEVEN, AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT CALLED THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL BANNED OZONE-DEPLETING CFC’S, OR CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS, IN EVERYTHING FROM HAIRSPRAY TO REFRIGERATORS.  CHEMICALS CALLED HCFC’S WERE USED AS REPLACEMENTS SINCE THEY DO LESS OZONE DAMAGE. BUT RECENTLY THE PARTIES TO THE PROTOCOL AGREED TO PUT AN END TO HCFC’S, TOO - A DECADE SOONER THAN EXPECTED.

NICK NUTALL OF THE U.N. ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME SAYS IT’S A SIGN THAT WE MIGHT BE READY TO TACKLE OTHER GLOBAL ISSUES.

NUTALL: GOVERNMENTS  REALLY ARE WILLING TO COME TOGETHER, WILLING TO ENGAGE AND PUT ASIDE NARROW NATIONAL INTERESTS AND ACTUALLY RESPOND FOR THE COMMON GLOBAL GOOD.”

THE ENVIRONMINUTE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES AND THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.  LEARN MORE BY VISITING ENVIRONMINUTE-DOT-COM. 

Learn more from the United Nations Development Programme.

Read more from the Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University.