Protecting the Ozone Layer Versus Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Myths, Partial truths, and Some Fresh Perspectives

F.S. Rowland and Mario Molina, authors of the seminal 1974 article first describing the potential for ozone depletion due to use of manmade chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Photo credit: UC Irvine

Given the increasing frequency of natural disasters linked to climate change, there is an urgent need to accelerate GHG emission reductions. One source of lessons is the Montreal Protocol, the remarkably successful international agreement to protect the ozone layer.[1] Based on a career of over 40…