Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

In 1994, the 49th General Assembly of the United Nations designated 16 September as the "International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer". The date was chosen to commemorate 16 September 1987, when the Montreal Protocol was signed.

The Montreal Protocol has now been ratified by all 197 UN member states worldwide and is having an impact: by 2004, global CFC use had fallen by around 97 per cent, and in Germany by more than 98 per cent. Nevertheless, it will take until the middle of this century for ozone levels in the stratosphere to return to normal.