United Nations & Montreal Protocol Flashcards
United Nations (UN)
- Intergovernmental organization
- F ounded in 1945
- Currently : 193 Member States
- UN’s primary mandate: peacekeeping
– Overseeing of democratic elections
– United Nations peacekeeping: peace processes in post conflict areas and peace agreements - Mission and work of the UN are guided by the principles contained in its founding Charter
– takes action on the issues in the 21st century, e.g. peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, human rights, terrorism, humanitarian and health emergencies, gender equality, …
-> has become a mechanism for governments to find areas of agreement and solve problems together
UN system („UN family“)
UN system is made up of the UN itself affiliated programmes, funds, and specialized agencies all with their own membership, leadership, budget
e.g.
UN environment
UNDP (UN Development programm)
- Specialized agencies, e.g. WHO, World Bank…
- Related organizations e.g. WTO ( World Trade Org.)
UN - Funding
- Voluntary contributions from member states
– Based on GNI, capital income, external debt, etc.
– Special UN programs are not included, e.g. UNICEF and the World Food Programme
United Nation Development Programme (UNDP)
- UNDP : organisation advocating for change, working in more than 170 countries and territories
- Supports countries to meet their development aspirations
– Link and coordinate global and national efforts & connects countries for knowledge,
experience and resources to help people build a better life
UNDP: Annual report
- Published every year by UNDP
- Implementing a Strategic Plan 2018 21: help countries
deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals
– 3 objectives:
1. to eradicate all forms of poverty
2. accelerate structural transformations, supporting the growth of stronger, fairer economies
3. build resilience to shocks and crises
– Signature solutions in 6 areas:
1. Keeping people out of poverty –> Zero Poverty
2. Strengthen effective, inclusive and accountable governance –> Good Governance
3. Enhance national prevention and recovery capacities for resilient societies –> Stronger Resilience
4. Promote nature based solutions for a sustainable planet –> Climate Action
5. Close the energy gap –> Sustainable Energy
6. Strengthen gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls –> Gender Equality
UN environment
- Leading global environmental authority
– Sets the global environmental agenda
– Promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the UN system
Acts as advocate, educator, catalyst and facilitator - Funding: 95% voluntary contributions: Environment fund & earmarked contributions
- 7 broad thematic areas:
– climate change
– disasters and conflicts
– ecosystem management
– environmental governance
– chemicals and waste
– resource efficiency
– and environment
UN environment milestones (selection)
- 1987: Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
- 1988: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- 1992: Convention on Biological Diversity
- 2015: Sustainable Development Goals
UNEP/SETAC Life Cylce Initiative (LCI)
2002: UN environment (called UNEP at this time) and the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) launched an International Life Cycle
Partnership
– Enable users around the world to put life cycle thinking
into effective practice (in decision making)
– Enhance global consensus of existing and
emerging life cycle approaches methodology
– Facilitate the exchange of knowledge of over 2,000 experts worldwide and four regional networks from different continents
What is ozone layer depletion?
- Man made chemicals (containing chlorine (Cl) or bromine (Br))
- Released into the atmosphere cause the depletion of the ozone layer
– increased levels of UV radiation reaching the earth’s surface - A CFC molecule takes ~15 years to go from the ground the upper atmosphere & can stay there for about a century, destroying up to 100,000 O 3 molecules
Goal: Recovery of the ozone layer by
2050 2070 , if widespread adoption & implementation
Montreal Protocol: Objectives and Targets
Overall target: Elimination of consumption & production of ODS (Ozon depletion substances) –> End 2009: phase out 98% of ODS
Step wise phase down of consumption and production of the different ODS, with different timetables for developed and developing countries (also referred to as Article 5 countries)
* Montreal Protocol opened for signature on September 16, 1987
* Entered into force on January 1, 1989
* Signed by 197 countries
– Only treaty signed by all UN member states
* Yearly “Meeting of Parties” (MOP) - Meeting of parties are similar to HLPV & COP
–> MOP 2016: The Kigali Amendement
Indicators:
- Monitor the reduction of usage of ODS
- Indicator of progress made towwards meeting the commitments to phase out the use of ODS
Kigali Amendment (2016)
- Phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) because these substances were adopted by industries in moving away from ozone depleting substances
- They are potent greenhouse gases damaging to the
earth’s climate
–> potential to avoid 0.4 °C of global warming
Following the UN’s principle that “ countries have a common but differentiated responsibility to protect and manage the global commons” countries are divided into different groups following different timelines:
Article 5 countries : Countries whose annual per capita consumption and production of ozone depleting substances (ODS) is less than 0.3 kg
Non Article 5 countries : Other, mostly further industrialized countries
Montreal Protocol Process : Summary
- Mid 1970s : first warnings from scientists on decrease of ozone layer
- 1987/89: Montreal Protocol lead to a ban/Phase out of ODS
– Chlorofluorocarbons ( CFCs) were replaced to some extent by:
*Less damaging hydro chloro fluoro carbons (HCFCs) → since 1996: complete ban, but due to transitional periods complete ban only in 2040) - Hydro fluoro carbons (HFCs) do not damage ozone layer but are significant GHGs a HFC phase down schedule was recently adopted (Kigali Amendment)
*Global recognition of the importance of the ozone issue and the contribution of science to ozone layer protection efforts
– In 1995, recognition in the form of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry
– In 2003, political recognition of the Montreal protocol came in the statement of then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan: “perhaps the single most successful international
environmental agreement to date”
Montreal Protocol process: new challenges
- New, illegal source of trichlorofluoromethane (CFC 11) - more than half of the surge originates in the Chinese prvince Shandong and Hebei
- Used as a refrigerant in refrigerators or air conditioners
- Contrary to international climate protection agreements
- more strict monitoring is necessary: not only satellite
measurements but locally quantifying the emissions
-> more than half of the surge originates in the Chinese prvince Shandong and Hebei
* Chinese government built a monitoring network for CFC 11 emissions following 2019 study + heftier penalties for companies illegally producing the chemical
* 2021 studies: Decline in CFC 11 emissions
* CFC 11 emissions returned to pre 2013 levels in 2019
Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2022
- Assessment prepared every 4 years provided to the
Parties ahead of annual MOP where amendments and
adjustments to the Montreal Protocol are considered - Ozone layer on track to be completely recovered by 2040 with exception of polar regions (Arctic 2045; Antarctic 2066)
- The Kigali Amendment’s control of high GWP HFCs is expected to lead to overwhelmingly positive climate benefits . Nevertheless, there is a potential for certain negative side effects (HFO replce HFC)
- New chapter added to the 2022 assessment report Stratospheric Aerosol Injection and Potential Impacts on Ozone - main finding: –“Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) has the potential to reduce global mean
temperatures. However, SAI cannot fully offset the widespread effects of global warming and produces unintended consequences, including effects on ozone .
Meeting of Parties 2022
- 34th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol
on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
– 31 October 4 November 2022 in Montreal, Canada
– Next one: October 2023 in Kenya - Over 500 participants from governments, UN agencies, intergovernmental and non governmental organizations, academia, and industry attended
- Agenda items
– Parties adopted 24 decisions, including on: - Illegal import of certain refrigeration, ac, and heat pump products
- Potential impacts of COVID 19 on HFC consumption in developing countries
- Identification of gaps in the global coverage of atmospheric monitoring of controlled substances and enhancing monitoring
– Adopted the terms of reference for the study on the replenishment of the Multilateral Fund (MLF) for 2024-2026
