ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the negotiations that led to the diplomatic conference in Montreal, in September 1987, at which an international protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer was concluded. Ozone atoms are broken down entirely by atmospheric pollutants created by humans, and concern about depletion of the ozone layer is not new. Throughout the intragovemmental and international negotiations in 1986 and 1987 that led up to the Montreal Protocol, the alliance also tried to publicize the likely cost to the US consumer of capping or banning chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) production or use. Between 1963 and 1975, total worldwide production of CFCs increased from some 500 million pounds to 2 billion pounds annually. The responsibility for framing the official US government position belonged to the State Department and the environmental protection agency. The Montreal conference opened on September 8 with sixty countries in attendance, as well as representatives of various environmental groups and industrial organizations.
