Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if any evaluation has been made by(a) his Department, (b) the Natural Environment Research Council and (c) the European Commission Environment Directorate into the effects of carbon tetrachloride released in eastern Europe on the ozone layer over western Europe.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe stratospheric ozone review group report, published in October 1988 estimates that global carbon tetrachloride emissions account for 8 per cent. of global ozone depletion. We know of no evaluation by the Department's research contractors, NERC or the European Commission Environment Directorate which looks specifically at the impact of emissions of carbon tetrachloride from eastern Europe.
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Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been undertaken to evaluate the benefits and disbenefits of CFC-22 in regard to reducing ozone depletion.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe potential impact of CFC-22 on the ozone layer has been evaluated in this and other countries by using mathematical models of atmospheric chemistry. These models estimate the amount of ozone depletion likely to occur as a result of emission of a particular CFC. The ozone depletion potential is defined as the ratio of ozone depletion from a given CFC to that of CFC-11, one of the most common. For CFC-22 the ozone depletion potential is about 0.05. The 1988 stratospheric ozone review group report estimates that CFC-22 was responsible for only 0.4 per cent. of the total ozone depletion in 1985.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how his Department was represented at the United Nations environmental programme meeting in Yugoslavia in early October, which discussed the greenhouse effect and possible solutions.
§ Mrs. Virgina BottomleyA meeting of task teams on the regional impact of climate change under the UNEP ocean and coastal areas programme of the global climate programme was held in Split between 3 and 8 October 1988. This meeting was a working scientific meeting and not one for national delegations. I understand that scientists from the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, University College London, and the University of East Anglia were present.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his Department made any commitment to support research into ozone layer depletion in Western Europe at the international meeting on the ozone hole in Göttingen, in the Federal Republic of Germany, in August.
§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley[holding answer 26 October]: The meeting in question was one of scientists to discuss all aspects of atmospheric ozone, not only the ozone hole. No commitments to support research were sought from the Department. We did, however, issue for information a short statement on a proposal from the United Kingdom, Norway and the European Commission to set up a unit to co-ordinate European research on stratospheric ozone.