Recognizing the Rights of the Ozone Layer: A proposal for ecological integrity, legal innovation and sustained global action
Year: 2026
Type: report
Abstract: Recognising the Rights of the Ozone Layer: A Proposal for Ecological Integrity, Legal Innovation and Sustained Global Action This policy brief, published by the Association for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development (AEPSD), Cameroon, examines the scientific, legal and policy foundations for strengthening the protection of the Earth’s ozone layer through innovative approaches to international environmental governance. Building upon the achievements of the 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the brief explores the possibility of recognising the ozone layer’s ecological integrity as a legally protected interest within an evolving international environmental law framework. While acknowledging the significant progress achieved in reversing ozone depletion, the publication argues that continued scientific monitoring, international cooperation, precautionary regulation and effective compliance mechanisms remain essential to safeguarding the ozone layer for present and future generations. The brief further advances AEPSD’s call for global emergency-level commitment to environmental protection, emphasising that such advocacy does not imply the existence of a formally declared international environmental emergency. Particular attention is given to the responsibilities and opportunities of developing countries, including those in Africa, regarding environmental governance, financial assistance, technology transfer and institutional capacity building. The publication concludes with policy recommendations directed at governments, international organisations, research institutions and civil society actors. Institution: Association for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development (AEPSD), Cameroon. Author: Barrister Lyonga Walterson Lyiange, LL.M. Publication Series: AEPSD Policy Brief No. 01/2026. Keywords: Ozone Layer; Rights of Nature; International Environmental Law; Montreal Protocol; Vienna Convention; Environmental Governance; Ecological Integrity; Global Environmental Emergency; Sustainable Development; Africa.
Author: LYIANGE, LYONGA
Language: English
Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225144444