I left out no such thing because the "theory" is quite true. And the bubbles in Coca Cola are not Freon.
Regulation
Since the late 1970s, the use of CFCs has been heavily regulated because of their destructive effects on the
ozone layer. After the development of his
electron capture detector,
James Lovelock was the first to detect the widespread presence of CFCs in the air, finding a
mole fraction of 60
ppt of CFC-11 over
Ireland. In a self-funded research expedition ending in 1973, Lovelock went on to measure CFC-11 in both the Arctic and Antarctic, finding the presence of the gas in each of 50 air samples collected, and concluding that CFCs are not hazardous to the environment. The experiment did however provide the first useful data on the presence of CFCs in the atmosphere. The damage caused by CFCs was discovered by
Sherry Rowland and
Mario Molina who, after hearing a lecture on the subject of Lovelock's work, embarked on research resulting in the first publication suggesting the connection in 1974. It turns out that one of CFCs' most attractive features—their low reactivity— is key to their most destructive effects. CFCs' lack of reactivity gives them a lifespan that can exceed 100 years, giving them time to diffuse into the upper
stratosphere. Once in the stratosphere, the sun's
ultraviolet radiation is strong enough to cause the
homolyticcleavage of the C-Cl bond.

NASA projection of stratospheric ozone, in
Dobson units, if chlorofluorocarbons had not been banned.
Animated version.
By 1987, in response to a dramatic seasonal depletion of the ozone layer over
Antarctica, diplomats in
Montreal forged a treaty, the
Montreal Protocol, which called for drastic reductions in the production of CFCs. On March 2, 1989, 12
European Community nations agreed to ban the production of all CFCs by the end of the century. In 1990, diplomats met in
London and voted to significantly strengthen the Montreal Protocol by calling for a complete elimination of CFCs by the year 2000. By the year 2010 CFCs should have been completely eliminated from developing countries as well.

Ozone-depleting gas trends
Because the only CFCs available to countries adhering to the treaty is from recycling, their prices have increased considerably. A worldwide end to production should also terminate the smuggling of this material. However, there are current CFC smuggling issues, as recognized by the
United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in a 2006 report titled "Illegal Trade in Ozone Depleting Substances". UNEP estimates that between 16,000–38,000 tonnes of CFCs passed through the black market in the mid-1990s. The report estimated between 7,000 and 14,000 tonnes of CFCs are smuggled annually into developing countries. Asian countries are those with the most smuggling; as of 2007, China, India and South Korea were found to account for around 70% of global CFC production,
[9] South Korea later to ban CFC production in 2010.
[10] Possible reasons for continued CFC smuggling were also examined: the report noted that many banned CFC producing products have long lifespans and continue to operate. The cost of replacing the equipment of these items is sometimes cheaper than outfitting them with a more ozone-friendly appliance. Additionally, CFC smuggling is not considered a significant issue, so the perceived penalties for smuggling are low. While the eventual phaseout of CFCs is likely, efforts are being taken to stem these current non-compliance problems.
By the time of the
Montreal Protocol it was realised that deliberate and accidental discharges during system tests and maintenance accounted for substantially larger volumes than emergency discharges, and consequently halons were brought into the treaty, albeit with many exceptions.
Regulatory gap[edit]
While the production and consumption of CFCs are regulated under the Montreal Protocol, emissions from existing banks of CFCs are not regulated under the agreement. In 2002, there were an estimated 5,791 kilotons of CFCs in existing products such as refrigerators, air conditioners, aerosol cans and others.
[11] Approximately one-third of these CFCs are projected to be emitted over the next decade if action is not taken, posing a threat to both the ozone layer and the climate.
[12] A proportion of these CFCs can be safely captured and destroyed.
Regulation and DuPont[edit]
In 1978 the United States banned the use of CFCs such as Freon in aerosol cans, the beginning of a long series of regulatory actions against their use. The critical DuPont manufacturing patent for Freon ("Process for Fluorinating Halohydrocarbons", U.S. Patent #3258500) was set to expire in 1979. In conjunction with other industrial peers DuPont sponsored efforts such as the "Alliance for Responsible CFC Policy" to question anti-CFC science, but in a turnabout in 1986 DuPont, with new patents in hand, publicly condemned CFCs.
[13] DuPont representatives appeared before the
Montreal Protocol urging that CFCs be banned worldwide and stated that their new HCFCs would meet the worldwide demand for refrigerants.
[13]
Phasing-out of CFCs[edit]
Use of certain chloroalkanes as solvents for large scale application, such as dry cleaning, have been phased out, for example, by the
IPPC directive on
greenhouse gases in 1994 and by the
volatile organic compounds (VOC) directive of the
EU in 1997. Permitted chlorofluoroalkane uses are medicinal only.
Bromofluoroalkanes have been largely phased out and the possession of equipment for their use is prohibited in some countries like the Netherlands and Belgium, from 1 January 2004, based on the
Montreal Protocol and guidelines of the European Union.
Production of new stocks ceased in most (probably all) countries in 1994.[
citation needed] However many countries still require aircraft to be fitted with halon fire suppression systems because no safe and completely satisfactory alternative has been discovered for this application. There are also a few other, highly specialized uses. These programs recycle halon through "halon banks" coordinated by the Halon Recycling Corporation
[14] to ensure that discharge to the atmosphere occurs only in a genuine emergency and to conserve remaining stocks.
The interim replacements for CFCs are hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which deplete stratospheric ozone, but to a much lesser extent than CFCs.
[15] Ultimately,
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) will replace HCFCs. Unlike CFCs and HCFCs, HFCs have an ozone depletion potential (ODP) of 0. DuPont began producing hydrofluorocarbons as alternatives to Freon in the 1980s. These included Suva refrigerants and Dymel propellants.
[16] Natural refrigerants are climate friendly solutions that are enjoying increasing support from large companies and governments interested in reducing global warming emissions from refrigeration and air conditioning. Hydrofluorocarbons are included in the
Kyoto Protocol because of their very high
Global Warming Potential and are facing calls to be regulated under the
Montreal Protocol[
dubious – discuss]
[17] due to the recognition of halocarbon contributions to climate change.
[18]
On September 21, 2007, approximately 200 countries agreed to accelerate the elimination of hydrochlorofluorocarbons entirely by 2020 in a
United Nations-sponsored
Montrealsummit. Developing nations were given until 2030. Many nations, such as the
United States and
China, who had previously
resisted such efforts, agreed with the accelerated phase out schedule.
[19]
Development of alternatives for CFCs[edit]
Work on alternatives for chlorofluorocarbons in refrigerants began in the late 1970s after the first warnings of damage to
stratospheric ozone were published.
The hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are less stable in the lower atmosphere, enabling them to break down before reaching the ozone layer. Nevertheless, a significant fraction of the HCFCs do break down in the
stratosphere and they have contributed to more chlorine buildup there than originally predicted. Later alternatives lacking the chlorine, the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have an even shorter lifetimes in the lower atmosphere. One of these compounds,
HFC-134a, is now used in place of CFC-12 in automobile air conditioners. Hydrocarbon refrigerants (a propane/isobutane blend) are also used extensively in mobile air conditioning systems in Australia, the USA and many other countries, as they have excellent thermodynamic properties and perform particularly well in high ambient temperatures.
One of the natural refrigerants (along with Ammonia and Carbon Dioxide), hydrocarbons have negligible environmental impacts and are also used worldwide in domestic and commercial refrigeration applications, and are becoming available in new split system air conditioners.
[20] Various other solvents and methods have replaced the use of CFCs in laboratory analytics.
[21]