EPA Section 608 Universal Certification ExamCoreHard
Which of the following statements about the Montreal Protocol is true?
- AIt primarily focuses on reducing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes.
- BIt established the framework for national clean air acts in individual countries.
- CIt is an international treaty designed to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
- DIt mandated the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) like CFCs and HCFCs.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. It mandated the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) like CFCs and HCFCs.
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an international environmental agreement that successfully phased out the production and consumption of numerous ozone-depleting substances (ODS), including CFCs and HCFCs.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Reducing carbon dioxide is related to climate change, not the ozone layer, and is addressed by other treaties.
- B. While it influenced national policies, it's an international treaty, not a framework for national clean air acts, which often predated it.
- C. The Montreal Protocol targets ODS, not primarily greenhouse gases; that's the focus of agreements like the Kyoto Protocol.
Montreal Protocol
An international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances responsible for ozone depletion.
- Signed in 1987, widely ratified.
- Targeted CFCs, then HCFCs, and later HFCs (via the Kigali Amendment).
- Considered one of the most successful environmental treaties.
- Directly led to the recovery of the ozone layer.
Memory trick: Montreal protects the ozone hole, making ODS lose control.