Climate notes: The ozone hole – a forgotten problem?

In September 2009 Timor-Leste (East Timor) was the last of 196 countries to ratify the “Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer”. This protocol of 1987 is thus the most important multilateral environmental accord and the first international agreement that has attained worldwide ratification. In the meantime, the problematic nature of ozone depletion has disappeared from the public debate to a great extent. More than 20 years after the Montreal Accord scientists have come up with new findings on the relationship between ozone depletion and climate change. This article provides an overview of the importance of the ozone hole for the environment and the climate and discusses policy measures for the removal of substances that damage the ozonosphere.