- The U.S. is foremost among 16 nations seeking an exemption
from guidelines set in the 1987 Montreal Protocol for the phase-out of
methyl bromide, a potent ozone-depleting chemical used for agricultural
purposes.
-
- The U.S. previously agreed to ban methyl bromide by next
January. Instead it is expected to push for a multi-year exemption to the
phase-out as the signatories to the Montreal Protocol gather in Prague
this week.
-
- The U.S. is requesting permission to use 9,379 metric
tons of the neurotoxin in 2006. That comprises over 75% of the exemptions
being sought, with the 15 other countries requesting approximately 2,700
tons in combination.
-
- BushGreenwatch reported in February on the request of
the Bush Administration to increase methyl bromide production, rather than
continuing to reduce it -- a move that prompted an unprecedented special
meeting of the treaty parties in March of this year.[1]
-
- At that time the U.S. was granted a one-year exemption
with a freeze on production at current levels and an allowance of almost
9,000 metric tons for 2005. This number was almost twice the total allowance
for the 11 other nations also granted exemptions at the time. [2]
-
-
- David Doniger, policy director at Natural Resources Defense
Council's Climate Center (NRDC), says that by pushing for major exemptions
to the Montreal Protocol, the Bush Administration is "risking a catastrophic
breakdown of the global ozone treaty, endangering the health of millions
of Americans, and exposing American businesses to as much as $10 billion
per year in trade sanctions."[3] "What's at stake here,"
says Doniger, "is whether the U.S. is going back on its commitments
to protect the ozone layer under the Montreal Protocol." [4]
-
- Exemptions are allowed under the protocol when a technical
or economically viable alternative does not exist. But the use of methyl
bromide has serious implications in addition to ozone-depletion.
-
- Originally developed during World War II as a nerve gas,
it also causes reproductive problems, and exposure to it has been linked
to an increased risk of prostate cancer among pesticide applicators and
farm workers.
-
- SOURCES: [1] BushGreenwatch, Feb. 23, 2004. [2] "Methyl
bromide exemptions to be decided next week," Greenwire, Nov. 18, 2004.
[3] Letter from David D. Doniger to Hon. Michael O. Leavitt, Administrator,
Environmental Protection Agency. [4] Greenwire, op. cit.
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- Copyright 2003 Environmental Media Services
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- http://www.bushgreenwatch.org/mt_archives/000221.php
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