It’s official: the Ozone Layer is repairing. After years of depleting, the 6 mile-high layer protecting us from the sun’s harmful UV rays is now healing.
The hole, discovered in the 1980s above Antarctica, was caused by CFCs being emitted into the atmosphere from aerosols and in the disposal of fridges and air conditioning units that eventually led to approximately 10% of the Ozone Layer disappearing. In response to the alarming rate of depletion, the Montreal Protocol was established, an international agreement (signed by most countries), agreeing to ban CFCs in order to allow the Ozone to heal. Today, we see that this work has been a success. This is a clear example of where inter-governmental co-operation has tackled a global problem head on and demonstrates how environmental issues and not unresolveable with international recognition and action.
The hole is still there and levels of Ozone gas have not been restored to pre-CFC levels but this is a clear step in the right direction for solving the Ozone Layer problem.
To read the full BBC News article, click here.
