The large-scale, widespread and unchecked illegal trade in chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone depleting substances (ODS) within the European Union (EU) is undermining the success of the Montreal Protocol and directly threatens human health and ecological security worldwide.
This spring ozone levels over the Northern Hemisphere were up to 40% thinner than 1979-1982 levels and covered an area half the size of Canada (5.3 million km2). In the Southern Hemisphere during the 1996 winter stratospheric ozone depletion reached 70-80% of pre-ozone hole values and lasted longer than ever before.
The resultant increase in ultra-violet radiation (UVR) reaching Earth’s surface is having a devastating impact on human health and the natural environment.