Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer

1985

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July 16, 2026

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The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, adopted in 1985, is an international agreement that calls for cooperation in research and the exchange of information regarding ozone-depleting chemicals (ODCs). This convention was a precursor to the Montreal Protocol, which was adopted in 1987 and aimed to regulate the production and use of ODCs.1

Ozone (O₃) is a molecule that occurs naturally in the stratosphere, where it absorbs harmful solar ultraviolet radiation. However, certain chemicals, like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), can decompose in the stratosphere and release chlorine atoms that destroy ozone molecules. The discovery of a thinning ozone layer over Antarctica in 1985 highlighted the urgency of this issue, leading to the development of international agreements to protect the ozone layer.21

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environmental law
Historical development
The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985), for example, did not specify the measures that signatory states were required to adopt to protect human health and the environment from the effects of ozone depletion, nor did it mention any of the substances…
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The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985), for example, did not specify the measures that signatory states were required to adopt to protect human health and the environment from the effects of ozone depletion, nor did it mention any of the substances…
Read More

Montreal Protocol
…discuss the issue at the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. The meeting called for international cooperation in research involving ozone-depleting chemicals (ODCs) and empowered the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to lay the groundwork for the Montreal Protocol.
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…discuss the issue at the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. The meeting called for international cooperation in research involving ozone-depleting chemicals (ODCs) and empowered the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to lay the groundwork for the Montreal Protocol.
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treaty
…Air Pollution (1979) and the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985) as well as their succeeding protocols; the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (both of which were adopted in 1992); and the Kyoto Protocol (1997)—the first addition to…
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…Air Pollution (1979) and the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985) as well as their succeeding protocols; the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (both of which were adopted in 1992); and the Kyoto Protocol (1997)—the first addition to…
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