U.S. Looks to Exempt Itself From Ozone Treaty

In 1987, a treaty whose goal was to phase out the use of chemicals known to deplete the ozone layer was signed by almost two hundred countries, including the United States. It is often considered to be the most successful worldwide environmental treaty ever instated. The nations that signed the treaty send politicians and scientists to a yearly convention to discuss making adjustments to the protocol. This past year, they discovered once again that there is no evidence that the ozone layer is recovering, but they need to decide which of the countries that have claimed a critical need for methyl bromide they will grant exemptions to. The United States is one of the nations that has asked for an exemption for the following year. Delegates from European and poor countries have so far called the U.S.'s proposed increase too high, and have refused to grant the desired status. House Republicans are pushing a bill that would allow the United States to ignore the treaty despite international protest.

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