Number: 1987-19
WHEREAS, the United States and many other industrialized countries continue to use chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other long-lived chemical compounds containing chlorine or bromine; and
WHEREAS, there now exist substitutes for most uses of these products, and manufacturers state that alternatives can be developed for other uses; and
WHEREAS, these gases are emitted into the atmosphere from industrial processes and from manufactured products containing CFCs; and
WHEREAS, these gases have the capacity to contribute to global warming (also called the “greenhouse effect”); and
WHEREAS, these gases can catalytically destroy ozone molecules and thus deplete the stratospheric ozone layer miles above the earth’s surface; and
WHEREAS, recent evidence reveals dramatic, seasonal depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer above Antarctica; and
WHEREAS, many atmospheric scientists believe that CFCs are a likely cause of the observed ozone diminution; and
WHEREAS, the stratospheric ozone layer protects human and other life forms by absorbing ultraviolet (UV) radiation; and
WHEREAS, a depletion of stratospheric ozone and the consequent increase in UV radiation reaching the earth’s surface will increase the incidence of human skin cancers (20% of which are fatal), increase the occurrence of cataracts in many animal species, decrease plant growth, destroy habitat, and diminish the productivity of our marine resources by killing plankton and other important links in the ocean’s food webs; and
WHEREAS, an increase in UV radiation will exacerbate the photochemical smog now present at unhealthy levels in most urban areas;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 19-22, 1987, in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, urges the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to endorse, and to work within the United Nations Environment Program, to achieve an international environmental accord to ensure an immediate reduction in the worldwide production of CFCs and an expeditious elimination of all non-vital CFC uses; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges Congress to adopt legislation to ensure national reductions and phase-outs necessary to implement the international accord.