Report of the E nvironmental Effects Assessment Panel 24th Meeting of the Parties to the United Nations Montreal Proto

1. Report of the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel 24th Meeting of the Parties to the United Nations Montreal Protocol 12-16 November 2012 Geneva, Switzerland Co-chairs: Janet Bornman (Australia) Nigel Paul (UK) Xiaoyan Tang (China) Today’s summary Progress towards the 2014 report in relation to Decision XXIII/13, including the latest developments

2. 2014 Environmental Effects Assessment • Topics to be addressed (Decision XXIII/13) • Effects of ultraviolet radiation reaching the biosphere and how those effects relate to physical, biological and environmental processes. • Adverse effects of ultraviolet radiation on human health, including cancers, eye damage, infectious and other diseases and the beneficial effects of ultraviolet radiation. • Effects on the biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems, including the delivery of ecosystem services such as food production. • Effects of ultraviolet radiation on materials, including materials used in building construction. • Risks to human health and the environment from substances that affect the ozone layer. Panel meeting in August 2012 to identify key priorities / new information in relation to XXIII/13 and to start to develop content.

3. XXIII/13.3 a) Effects of ultraviolet radiation reaching the biosphere and how those effects relate to physical, biological and environmental processes. Effects of ozone changes on UV dealt with in close co-operation with SAP.

4. XXIII/13.3 a) Effects of ultraviolet radiation reaching the biosphere and how those effects relate to physical, biological and environmental processes. Changes in solar UV predicted for this century. Baiset al (2011: left) and Watanabe et al (2012: right) independently predict increases in solar UV at low-mid-latitudes but decreases in solar UV at high latitudes. Ozone plus many other factors are involved.

5. XXIII/13.3 a) Effects of ultraviolet radiation reaching the biosphere and how those effects relate to physical, biological and environmental processes. • Assess new understanding of relationship between ultraviolet wavelength and key “target processes”, e.g. vitamin D synthesis, suppression of the immune system. Relationship between UV wavelength and immune suppression Damian et al 2011

6. XXIII/13.3 b) Adverse effects of ultraviolet radiation on human health, including cancers, eye damage, infectious and other diseases and the beneficial effects of ultraviolet radiation. • Assess new understanding of relationship between ultraviolet wavelength and key “target processes”, e.g. vitamin D synthesis, suppression of the immune system. • Assess new research on role of solar UV radiation in the development of skin cancers and other disease (significant new mechanistic studies). • Risks to human health from substances that affect the ozone layer (XXIII/13.3e).

7. XXIII/13.3 b) Adverse effects of ultraviolet radiation on human health, including cancers, eye damage, infectious and other diseases and the beneficial effects of ultraviolet radiation. • Assess the new research in to links between solar UV, vitamin D and disease*, which are complex and disease-specific. • Assess the balance of adverse and beneficial effects of UV on human health in relation to predicted changes in solar UV. * Note: solar UV radiation is responsible for the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin. Reduced exposure to sunlight leads to vitamin D deficiency.

8. XXIII/13.3 c) Effects on the biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems, including the delivery of ecosystem services such as food production. • Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems • Assess new understanding of the mechanism of plant responses to UV radiation (e.g. in regulating plant responses to pest and disease attack) in relation to predicted changes in solar UV.

9. XXIII/13.3 c) Effects on the biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems, including the delivery of ecosystem services such as food production. • Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems • Assess new understanding of the mechanism of plant responses to UV radiation (e.g. in regulating plant responses to pest and disease attack) in relation to predicted changes in solar UV. The key photoreceptor for plant responses to UV-B radiation has recently been identified (uvr8) but response to different wavelengths remains poorly understood (Brown et al, 2009)

10. XXIII/13.3 c) Effects on the biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems, including the delivery of ecosystem services such as food production. • Terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems • Assess new understanding of the mechanism of plant responses to UV radiation (e.g. in regulating plant responses to pest and disease attack) in relation to predicted changes in solar UV. • Assess interactions and feedbacks between the effects of solar UV and other environmental changes in aquatic systems (e.g. stratification, acidification).

11. XXIII/13.3 c) Effects on the biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems, including the delivery of ecosystem services such as food production. • Environmental chemical processes and cycles • Assess the effects of changes in solar UV radiation on the carbon cycle: processes, interactions and feedbacks.

12. XXIII/13.3 c) Effects on the biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems, including the delivery of ecosystem services such as food production. • Environmental chemical processes and cycles • Assess the effects of changes in solar UV radiation on the carbon cycle: processes, interactions and feedbacks. • Assess the effects of changes in solar UV radiation on the biogeochemistry of trace gases and aerosols. • Assess the effects of changes in solar UV radiation on air quality (e.g. tropospheric ozone). • Assess the risks to the environment from substances that affect the ozone layer (XXIII/13.3e).

13. XXIII/13.3 d) Effects of ultraviolet radiation on materials, including materials used in building construction. • Assess the effects of solar UV radiation on new classes of materials, e.g. photovoltaics, plastics using nano-scale fillers or bio-fillers. • Assess new information on the interaction between solar UV radiation and temperature on the degradation of materials.

14. EEAP Summary 2012 • - EEAP meeting in August 2012 to identify key priorities / new information in relation to Decision XXIII/13, and to start to develop chapter content. • Drafts to be developed to be available for independent review by December 2013 • Panel will meet in 2014, to discuss revisions with reviewers and develop the final text for November 2014.