Good news for the planet and for us: the ozone layer hole is shrinking.
During the 1980s the world realized that in addition to consuming Earth’s resources, we were also creating a huge hole in the ozone layer, which could mark our future in the planet.
So, the Montreal Protocol 1987 was the beginning of the plan to protect the Ozone Layer that was signed by practically every country in the world. It was not a simple mission and the effects would be seen in the long term.
The hole in the Ozone layer is closing
The Protocol document has been revised on numerous occasions during all these years and the hope is that, if all the intermediate objectives are met, the Antarctic ozone hole could could recover by 2050. To this day we cannot speak of a complete recovery, there is still a deadline ahead, however there is great news to celebrate: studies confirm that For the first time the hole in the ozone layer is closing.
31 years after the signing of that Protocol, it seems that the efforts are bearing fruit and Science has published an investigation confirming that famous hole in the Ozone layer over the Antarctic has reduced its size by more than 4 million square kilometers since 2000.
Susan Salomon is the visible head of the study, the MIT researcher was the one who in 1986 discovered the factors affecting stratospheric ozone, revealing the relationship between chlorine, low temperatures in the atmosphere and the incidence of sunlight as causing the hole.
Control of chlorofluorocarbons, the key
Control and disposal of sprays, cosmetics, refrigeration systems and cleaning products withchlorofluorocarbons (CFC) has worked, and even researchers are surprised that it happened so fast. The statement is clear: globally, the ozone hole appears to be healing.
According to one of the latest reports of the United Nations Environment Program published in 2015, the concentration of ozone-depleting chemicals It has decreased between 10% and 15% compared to the 1990s.
At the moment, the plans indicated by the researchers’ projections are being fulfilled. Therecovery of the hole in the ozone layer This is not only good news for the planet, but also for those of us who inhabit it, because this layer is responsible for absorbing a large part of the ultraviolet radiation received from the Sun and which is harmful to humans. According to the UN, the Montreal Protocol for the protection of the ozone layer avoid in 2030 more than 2 million skin cancers per year.
