"Findings by the Environmental Investigation Agency point to a perceived loophole in the Montreal Protocol".
"For more than 35 years, millions of people worldwide have benefited from an international treaty that has phased out gases damaging the ozone layer, a vital atmospheric shield that screens out dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
But despite its effectiveness — it has been called the most successful international environmental treaty ever adopted — the Montreal Protocol has an exemption. This lapse is now allowing U.S. factories to emit gases that both damage the ozone layer and warm the Earth, according to a new report by a watchdog group, the Environmental Investigation Agency.
Using sophisticated infrared technology, the Washington-based nonprofit group was recently able to detect releases of these chemicals — known as fluorinated gases, or F-gases — from two production facilities in Texas and Louisiana. Such inadvertent releases by factories could help account for rising emissions of these pollutants worldwide, the EIA said in findings provided to The Washington Post."
Maxine Joselow reports for the Washington Post October 10, 2023.
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