CHARBONNEAU – Cheer up, climate change could be a lot worse
THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL was remarkable for three reasons: It was a model for international cooperation; it succeeded in reducing atmospheric pollution; and now studies show it slowed global warming.
Given the current divide, it’s hard to imagine how different the politics were back in 1987 when the Montreal Protocol was signed. Conservative leaders of Canada and the U.S. agreed on the science that demonstrated how chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were damaging the ozone layer and allowing harmful radiation from the sun to get through.
Back then, Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Republican President George H. W. Bush led the signing of the protocol. Unlike now, both leaders understood that science is not a “belief system.”
David Charbonneau is a retired TRU electronics instructor who hosts a blog at http://www.eyeviewkamloops.wordpress.com.
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