The Montreal Protocol was enacted in 1987 to protect the ozone layer from ozone-depleting substances (ODSs)
This has been amended since 1987 to expand the list of controlled ODSs and adjust to the phaseout of ODS production
Comparing the adjusted Protocol with a scenario of no controls on ODSs showed the prevention of an estimated 63 million cataract cases
Adjusting the Montreal Protocol resulted in an estimated 33 million fewer cataract cases
Skin cancer cases were also estimated to be reduced by 230 million
Kofi Annan, former head of the United Nations, said that the Montreal Protocol was “perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date”
References
- M Tola, (2016). Available at: econ.st/3EPIIAU.
- S Madronich et al., ACS Earth Space Chem, 5 (2021). PMID: 34497969.
