Research Press Release
Nature
February 11, 2021
Global emissions of trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) decreased in 2019 to levels close to the average seen from 2008–2012, reports a study in
Nature. In a separate paper, approximately 60% of this decline is found to be as a result of reductions in emissions from eastern China after 2017. The findings suggest that the downward trajectory of CFC-11 emissions has been restored and substantial delays in the recovery of the ozone layer may have been avoided.
The Montreal Protocol set out to protect the ozone layer by reducing the abundance of ozone-depleting substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), in the atmosphere. Under the protocol, production of these substances was banned from 2010. However, in 2018 it was reported that the decline in the atmospheric concentration of CFC-11 had slowed since 2013, suggesting an increase in emissions from new, unreported production. Much of this global rise was attributed to emissions from eastern China.