Source: Sebastian Oberthür, Production and Consumption of Ozone-Depleting Substances, 1986-1995 (Deutsche Gesellschaft Für Technische Zusammenarbeit, Bonn, Germany, 1997), p. 30.

The graph above shows how the levels of chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, have changed over time.

Recently, the trend has been for CFC production to decrease sharply.  As the graph shows, it was primarily the industrial nations that were responsible for most CFC production until some years ago.

Eventually, environmentalists and scientists realized the dangers that CFCs posed to the atmosphere and convinced governments in wealthy nations that they had to reduce CFC production.  The wealthier countries have been able to make agreements to reduce CFCs and, as the graph proves, have largely fulfilled these agreements.

The developing nations often cannot afford the luxury of a clean environment.  Development usually means a high level of environmental damage, especially if a country has few laws restricting production of chemicals such as CFCs.