The report, released every four years, confirms that the ozone layer over Antarctica will be fully repaired within the next forty years, ie by 2066.
Posted on – 06:18 PM, Fri – 13 January 23
Hyderabad: We all know about the hole in the ozone layer that causes global warming and climate change. In a blog post on its website, the United Nations Environment Program said the ozone layer was “on track to recover”.
It said the global phase-out of ozone-depleting chemicals was already helping efforts to combat climate change. The report was presented at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society.
The report, released every four years, confirms that the ozone layer over Antarctica will be fully repaired within the next forty years, ie by 2066.
However, thanks to the Montreal Protocol agreement established 35 years ago to phase out nearly 99% of banned ozone-depleting substances, every country in the world has agreed to stop the production of ozone-depleting chemicals in Earth’s atmosphere. Some of the banned chemicals are CFCs11 and HFCs.
“Thus, the Montreal Protocol succeeded in protecting the ozone layer, leading to a significant recovery of the upper stratosphere and reducing human exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun,” it wrote. While similar healing patterns were observed four years ago, experts say the numbers have now consolidated.
The healing of the ozone layer is seen as a positive sign for climate change mitigation.
