Taking Industrial Action

Preventing emissions of nitrous oxide to protect the climate and ozone layer

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is the most significant ozone-depleting substance (ODS) in the world today and is projected to remain so throughout the 21st century. It is also the third most important greenhouse gas (GHG), being 273 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) on a tonne-for-tonne basis over a 100-year period.

For far too long, N2O emissions have been ignored in the climate debate, falling between the cracks of multiple multilateral treaties. With climate action more urgent than ever, we cannot continue to ignore this most low-hanging of mitigation fruits.

With its successful track record in phasing out fluorinated ODS, including CFCs and HCFCs, and its legacy of increasing environmental and climate ambition, the Montreal Protocol is uniquely well-suited to address the challenge posed by industrial emissions of N2O. By agreeing a pathway to secure action on industrial emissions, the parties to the Montreal Protocol can take meaningful steps towards reducing annual global emissions of this powerful, long-lived and ozone-depleting greenhouse gas.