Hey, Remember the Ozone Layer? Well, It's Finally Starting to Recover
Good news everyone, the ozone layer that we were rapidly eroding for many years has finally started to recover. According to a new study from the United Nations, for the first time in 35 years, there has been a slow, but steady, increase in time in stratospheric ozone, which protects us all from the sun's radiation. So throw out your sunblock, lather yourself in cooking oil and sit in the sun for five straight hours! Nothing to fear! We're kidding of course. But the news that we've done something good for the environment is certainly something worth celebrating.
Scientists first noticed that the ozone was being destroyed in the 1970s. As Brad Plumer explains over at Vox, the main cause of this was a chemical found in various household items and other things every single person was using. They were thinning the ozone out way before we discovered the issue. "The culprit was chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) — chemicals that were widely used in refrigerators and air conditioners," Plumer writes. "These chemicals had already created a massive 'hole' in the ozone layer around Antarctica and had the potential to destroy even more stratospheric ozone elsewhere in the world."
Of course, it took until the world came together and signed the Montreal Protocol, which dictated the systematic phasing out of CFCs. This was because the duo who first found the ozone's problem — chemists Mario Molina and Sherwood Rowland — had a difficult time proving the issue. Eventually, technology advancements made it easier, so the world finally understood the problem. And we're very lucky we did. If we hadn't all agreed to sign this deal, the rate of skin cancer would have skyrocketed. The sun's radiation would've wreaked havoc on crops and our food supply would have been ravaged.
"There are positive indications that the ozone layer is on track to recovery towards the middle of the century," UN Under-Secretary-General Achim Steiner, said in a recent press release. "The Montreal Protocol — one of the world's most successful environmental treaties — has protected the stratospheric ozone layer and avoided enhanced UV radiation reaching the earth's surface."
The good news goes beyond just a good feeling. Experts are now hoping that if everyone sees that we are capable of changing the world for the better, we will turn our efforts toward our new global issue — climate change. "International action on the ozone layer is a major environmental success story," WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud, said in a statement. "This should encourage us to display the same level of urgency and unity to tackle the even greater challenge of climate change. This latest assessment provides solid science to policy-makers about the intricate relationship between ozone and climate and the need for mutually-supportive measures to protect life on earth for future generations."
[Image via Flickr - Michael Cote]
