The original Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, was the first step in international efforts to protect stratospheric ozone. For the purposes of this Protocol: 1."Convention" means the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the. As a result of the Montreal Protocol much more severe ozone depletion in the polar regions has been avoided. In the early 1980s, scientists began to realize that CFCs were creating a thin spot—a hole—in the ozone layer over Antarctica every spring. Treaty to ban chemicals that harmed the ozone layer came about when there was consensus between science and politics. In the extent of their competence. International Environmental Agreements: Is Kyoto Failing Because Montreal. Succeeded? Thirtytwo years ago, the international community signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.