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Future CFC concentrations under the Montreal Protocol and their greenhouse-effect implications

Abstract

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer1 is an agreement to reduce production and emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) motivated primarily by the need to protect the Earth's ozone layer. The possible effects of CFCs on global climate were noted as an additional cause for concern. Here, the effect of the protocol on future concentrations of CFC-11 (CFCl3) and CFC-12 (CF2Cl2) is examined, and the greenhouse-effect implications are evaluated. The protocol reduces the 1986–2030 warming commitment attributable to CFCs by a factor of three to seven, but high CFC concentrations (up to four times present levels for CFC-12) would still occur eventually unless further restrictions are imposed.

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Wigley, T. Future CFC concentrations under the Montreal Protocol and their greenhouse-effect implications. Nature 335, 333–335 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/335333a0

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