Persistent problems

SINCE the world’s first big environment conference in 1972, green issues have become woven into the political agenda and into consumer consciousness. But as this snapshot shows, few problems have been resolved and some are worsening fast.

> Ozone protection: The 1987 UN Montreal Protocol outlawed chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases that erode Earth’s ozone layer, which protects the planet from cancer-causing solar rays. Further expansion of the Antarctic ozone hole has been halted, but full recovery is not expected until mid-century or later.