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The Montreal Protocol has successfully phased out ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) to restore the ozone layer, but it failed to address the high global warming potential of ODSs and their substitutes, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The document highlights the risk of unaddressed ODS banks and the rapid rise of HFC emissions, which could account for 9-19% of global CO2-equivalent emissions by 2050 under business-as-usual scenarios.

This research paper, published in November 1999 by WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature and authored by experts from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), examines the conflict between World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and trade measures used in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). The authors argue that uncertainty regarding WTO consistency is used by some nations to 'chill' the development of effective environmental laws, specifically citing the Biosafety Protocol and the POPs Agreement. The paper recommends that WTO members adopt a political statement of consistency and negotiate a separate agreement to grant MEAs equal status with WTO rules.