The 19 th meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group is being held at a time of growing concern that global warming may already be making ozone depletion worse than previously predicted. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the lower troposphere near the Earth's surface, which means less heat can escape upwards into the lower stratosphere where the ozone layer is located. The resulting lower temperatures have the potential to accelerate the chemical processes that destroy ozone. Colder stratospheric temperatures over the Arctic threaten to accelerate the thinning of the protective ozone shield over Northern Europe, creating an area of severe ozone depletion similar to the one that already appears each spring over the Antarctic. Developed countries phased out the use of these chemicals almost completely in 1996, although Russia and several others have experienced delays in meeting their deadlines.
China is now the world's largest producer of CFCs and halons.
The Protocol's Multilateral Fund has allocated money to help China close down its production facilities for these chemicals over the next 10 years. The Fund is now negotiating with India, which has the second largest production capacity of all developing countries, to develop a funding programme for closing down production facilities there. The Working Group's deliberations on the replenishment of the Multilateral Fund for the period 2000-2002 will draw on a study of funding requirements conducted by the Protocol's Technology and Economic Assessment Panel. This study will first be presented at a one-day preparatory meeting on 14 June, one day before the Working Group opens. With demand for CFCs now set to fall, the Fund is focusing more and more on tackling the production sector.