September 16th is World Ozone Day, a day that highlights the historic worldwide agreement that initiated the phase out of ozone-depleting substances through the Montreal Protocol. The ozone layer is on the road to recovery, but we need to recognize that the Protocol did not go all the way. These ozone-depleting gases, including refrigerants and halons, are still being used across the globe (or sitting, unused, and potentially leaking into the atmosphere), and their impact on the climate is significant. At Tradewater, we collect and destroy these gases and prevent them from reaching the atmosphere. On September 16th, 1987, world leaders came together to adopt a historic agreement labeled the Montreal Protocol. Two years prior, reports warned of a depleting ozone layer that could render Earth uninhabitable, and these realizations led to world leaders agreeing on the phase out of almost 100 synthetic chemicals that were proven to deplete the ozone layer. Many of these are halocarbons, a group of chemicals that are used as refrigerants, among other things, and that also have a high global warming potential (GWP). No one can deny that the Montreal Protocol has been successful in reducing the threat to the ozone layer, and this deserves to be recognized. The most recent UN report shows that 99% of the production of banned substances has been phased out and that the ozone layer is on track to be fully recovered by 2040. However, we now know halocarbons have a significant warming effect on the climate – up to 10,200 times that of CO2 – and the Protocol does not do enough to prevent these gases from being released into the atmosphere in the short term. With no end-of-life mandate in place beyond the production phase out, a lot of these substances are either still used or sitting in small quantities across the globe, often leaking into the atmosphere from old appliances or canisters. Due to the high GWP of these gases, they have a significant impact on the climate—even in small amounts. At Tradewater, we actively seek out these gases and safely dispose of them in a way that prevents them from being released into the atmosphere. So far, we have collected and destroyed halocarbons and methane with a CO2 equivalent to more than 6.7 million metric tons of CO2, and are on track to achieve over 22 million tons of impact through 2027!
We have come a long way in removing ozone-depleting substances from the atmosphere through the Montreal Protocol, but there is more work to do.
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Intresting
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32 w
Phasing out these substances was crucial and gives us hope we can do it again with CO2
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32 w
Super interesting! It's important to realise that even though progress has been made thanks to the Montreal protocol we still have some to do.
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I think we should have more solar powered systems, installations and maintenance repairs for states&countries around the world In this way,the problems of the dwindling life expectancy rates can be solved to the next generation &beyond . I'm an ardent supporter of the Renewable energy,resources &I know it can make the world a better place for generations yet unborn
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I agree with you,the world is slowly but surely on the bad side of being destroyed completely. There are some countries around the world you travel to&you can't you breathe normally for a while because youi lungs can't take the obvious challenges