US delays phase out for ozone depleting methyl bromide
A year on from the 1997 Montreal Protocol meeting where 167 nations
signed an internationally binding agreement, concerns are still raised about the
fate of the ozone-depleting fumigant methyl bromide.
Janet Byron reports on possible back-sliding by the US on phase out
dates, and the latest developments at the European Union.
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Methyl bromide fumigation on strawberry
fields in California
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MBr phase out concerns in US
Buried in an omnibus budget bill signed 20 October,
the United States Congress extended the US phase-out date for the widely
used fumigant methyl bromide from 2001 to 2005. The move ‘harmonizes’
the US Clean Air Act with the United Nations Montreal Protocol on Substances
that Deplete the Ozone Layer, an international treaty signed by 167 nations.
Environmental groups were outraged by the move, while farmers
and pesticide manufacturers applauded the change as buying time to develop
alternatives to methyl bromide.
“The environmental community is really unhappy,” Kristin
Schafer of Pesticide Action Network said. But, she added, “We’re not going
to have any more delays now.”
Ed Ruckert, counsel for the Crop Protection Alliance, a
38-member coalition that lobbied to extend the US methyl bromide phase-out date,
called the rollback a “good first step, given what we were facing. It provides
some brief relief.”
The US Clean Air Act Amendments of 1993 required a halt on
production of ozone-depleting substances such as methyl bromide by 2001. The
United Nations Environmental Programme/Montreal Protocol requires a complete ban
in developed countries by 2005, and developing nations by 2015.
Looking for the silver lining on a dark cloud, Brad Erickson
of Political Ecology Group said that if environmental groups had not pushed for
the 2005 date during the 1997 Montreal Protocol deliberations, “we would have
been five years further back. It would have been worse if not for the organizing
that we all did.”
Methyl bromide is used extensively for preplanting soil
fumigation of more than 100 commodities, as well as for post harvest, storage
and structural fumigation. Farmers rely on methyl bromide to produce
strawberries, tomatoes, cut flowers and dozens of other crops; many governments
require fumigation of imports with methyl bromide to prevent pest infestations.
Opponents to the ozone-depleting methyl bromide say the toxic
pesticide drifts, endangering public health. “This is not good news for
communities, especially those near fields where methyl bromide is sprayed,”
Jeanne Merrill of Pesticide Watch said.
Revising section 604 of the Clean Air Act, the legislation
requires EPA to write rules for “reductions in, and terminate the production,
importation and consumption of methyl bromide” on schedule with the Montreal
Protocol. An exemption allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
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to authorize the production of limited quantities of methyl bromide solely for use in developing countries
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provides exemptions for fumigating commodities entering and leaving the United States in order to comply with sanitation or food-protection standards
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allows exemptions for “critical uses” of methyl bromide.
The director of the US EPA’s methyl bromide phase-out programme, Bill Thomas,
said the process now “goes on a little bit longer, but it’s still moving.”
The new phase-out date has not relieved anxiety among grower
groups. While the American Farm Bureau Federation is “very happy to get this
done,” Dennis Stolte said the 2005 date “is not going to end the problem”
of finding substitutes for the fumigant. The Montreal Protocol requires a 50%
reduction in use by 2001, and 70% by 2003.
The new US phase-out date “fails to resolve the serious
problems agriculture and trade will face if methyl bromide is banned in the
United States,” said Peter Sparber, spokesman for the Methyl Bromide Working
Group, an industry coalition.
Kenneth Vick, methyl bromide research coordinator for the US
Department of Agriculture said, “We’d be hard-pressed to cover all the uses
of methyl bromide under 2001 time frame.” At the same time, the 2005 deadline
is “not less urgent.” USDA is currently spending US$14.7 million per year on
research into methyl bromide alternatives.
The International Research Conference on Methyl Bromide
Alternatives and Emissions Reduction will take place 7-9 December in Florida,
US.
Better news from Europe
Although the Montreal Protocol is a success in terms of the
number of Parties which have ratified and the far-reaching measures they have
undertaken, the ozone layer is still severely depleted. An ozone hole appears
each year over Antarctica and ozone losses of up to 40% have been observed over
northern Europe during recent winters. Ozone depletion leads to increased
ultra-violet radiation which causes skin cancers, cataracts, reduces growth of
crops and harms both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. While ozone depletion
is expected to peak during the next decade, recovery will not take place until
after 2050 and is contingent on full compliance with the Protocol.
On adoption Mrs Bjerregaard said: “This proposal
constitutes an important mile-stone in EU policy to protect the global
atmosphere. By phasing out all ozone-depleting substances in the EU, it sends a
clear message to the rest of the world that ozone depleting substances belong to
a technology of the past. Those involved in production and use of these
substances now have the necessary legal framework within which they can assume
their responsibilities for a better environment”.
As a result of the Montreal Protocol the rate of
deterioration of the ozone layer is slowing down, although the worst ozone
depletion is still ahead. Given full compliance with the Protocol, the ozone
layer is expected to recover around the middle of the next century.
The new Regulation implements recently agreed adaptations to
the Montreal Protocol into EU legislation.
US news reported by journalist Janet Byron; and European Commission,
IP/98/594. 1 July 1998.