Montreal Protocol has slowed loss of Arctic sea ice, say scientists

Jun 1, 2023

The Montreal Protocol is a landmark treaty that has had a significant impact on the environment. Image: Pexels/CHRISTIAN PFEIFER

Ayesha Tandon

Science Journalist, Carbon Brief

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Levels of ozone depleting substances in parts per trillion (left), hydrofluorocarbons (middle) and of Arctic ozone (right) in the atmosphere between 1960-2050. The solid and dotted blue lines show the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, while the red line shows the world avoided scenario. Image: England et al (2023).

September sea ice concentrations at 2020, 2030 and 2040 under the world avoided (left) and standard (middle) scenarios under RCP4.5. The difference between the two scenarios is shown in red on the right. Image: England et al (2023).

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Probability distribution functions for the date of the first ice-free Arctic summer, for the Standard (blue) and Model Avoided (red) scenarios, under RCP4.5 (top) and RCP8.5 (bottom). Image: England et al (2023).

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— Mark England, Senior Research Fellow, University of Exeter

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