A chara, – Reading “How to tackle climate defeatism: Don’t cop out, consider your options” (Joe Humphreys, Unthinkable, November 17th), I am reminded that there is an example of countries coming together successfully to deal with a global environmental problem. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was adopted on September 16th, 1987, and is the only UN treaty that has been ratified by all 198 UN members.
With a full implementation of the Montreal Protocol, the ozone layer is projected to recover by the middle of this century. Without the treaty, ozone depletion would have increased tenfold by 2050 compared to current levels, and resulted in millions of additional cases of melanoma, other cancers and eye cataracts. It has been estimated that the Montreal Protocol is saving an estimated two million people each year by 2030 from skin cancer (source: UNEP.org). The Montreal Protocol is an example of what can be achieved through working together internationally and can give hope to those who are daunted by the challenges facing the world. – Is mise,
JAMES STAPLETON,
Balbriggan,
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Co Dublin.