Skip to this page's content Skip to access keys
Go to home page [Ministry for the Environment]

Home | Contact us | Related links | Site map
Working
with you		 | The
issues		 | Laws and
treaties		 | State of the
environment		 | Publications | About the
Ministry

You are here: Laws and treaties Contains: Multilateral Environmental Agreements Contains:

Montreal Protocol

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer 1987 sets targets for reducing the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. It originally required parties to reduce chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) use to 50 percent below 1986 levels by 1998, and to freeze halon consumption at 1986 levels from 1992.

The provisions of the Protocol have since been tightened through a series of Amendments – CFCs and halons were phased out completely by the early to mid-1990s, and phase-out schedules were agreed for other substances as the impact of those substances on ozone layer depletion became better understood. New Zealand’s obligations under the Montreal Protocol are implemented through the Ozone Layer Protection Act 1996 and the Ozone Layer Protection Regulations 1996.

The Act and its Regulations are enforced by the Ministry for Economic Development, but ozone layer protection policy is managed by the Ministry for the Environment in conjunction with other relevant government departments.

New Zealand has always taken an active role in international discussions about the Protocol, and it has aimed to meet or exceed its domestic commitments under the Protocol. Overseas development assistance to help developing countries comply with phase-out schedules under the Montreal Protocol is an important focus for further work under the Protocol.