Science Inspiring Diplomacy: The Improbable Montreal Protocol

I would like to thank Dr. Christos Zerefos for the opportunity to return to this beautiful country, where I once served as an American diplomat several years before I became the chief US negotiator for the Montreal Protocol. I am particularly honored to speak at the Academy of Athens, and feel awed to be in the company of so many of the world's most influential scientists, who contributed immeasurably to the extraordinary success of this historic treaty. Many of these renowned scientists are now personal friends, who became my mentors and associates during the complex negotiations to protect the fragile and endangered stratospheric ozone layer.

I am particularly grateful to Dr. Zerefos for generously assigning me the task of expounding the history of the Montreal Protocol in just 15 minutes. But I suppose that for an ancient civilization like Greece, the matter of time—whether 20 years or a quarter-hour—is not so important. I only hope that Dr. Zerefos will not stand behind me with a klepsydra—the ancient water clock that was used to time Athenian orators in the Agora—ready to pour water on me when my time is up!