CFCs: a dying breed.

China and Venezuela have pledged to phase out the use and production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of 2007, two years earlier than required by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. A total of US$26.5 million from the protocol's Multilateral Fund has been allocated to finance the phaseouts. With these pledges, production of more than 100,000 tons of CFCs will be eliminated each year, and the use of CFCs in developing countries will end. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of CFCs, which are used as coolants, solvents, and propellants.

Protection against further degradation of the ozone layer should prevent millions of cases of skin cancer and cataracts resulting from harmful ultraviolet rays reaching the Earth's surface. The phaseout also means fewer emissions contributing to global warming.