Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/NEW YORK: The United Nations has said that human efforts to preserve the ozone layer have succeeded and it may recover in a few decades.
In a report, the UN said that the significant assessment indicates that an international agreement to stop using the toxic chemicals that were harming the layer in 1987 has been successful.
The majority of the UV sunlight from the Sun is absorbed by the ozone layer, a thin layer of the earth’s atmosphere.
This radiation can reach the surface when depleted, posing a risk to people and other living things. Sunburn and DNA damage from ultraviolet rays can raise the long-term risk of conditions, including skin cancer.
In the 1970s, the ozone layer started to thin out. Spray cans, refrigerators, foam insulation, and air conditioners all included chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were once widely used.
Hole in the Ozone layer
Scientists first noticed a massive hole in the layer in 1985. Two years later, the Montreal Protocol was signed by 46 countries, which pledged to phase out the dangerous substances gradually. Nearly 99% of the compounds that were once prohibited for ozone depletion have since been phased out, and the agreement later became the first UN treaty to get universal acceptance.
The Antarctic ozone hole stopped growing in 2000 when its size and depth steadily increased. The Montreal Protocol is currently working as intended, according to a report co-produced by the UN, US, and EU organizations.
According to the report, if existing policies are upheld, the ozone layer will be restored to 1980 values, before the ozone hole first developed, at various times and locations.
Climate change due to the depletion Ozone layer
Despite being damaged due to solar radiation, ozone depletion is not the primary driver of climate change. However, the report claims that protecting the ozone layer has reduced global warming since some toxic compounds phased out are potent greenhouse gases.
The researchers concluded that when compared to increasing their use by 3% annually, the phase-out will have averted up to 1C of warming by the middle of the century.
The report has been hailed as excellent news and proof that swift, global action to avert environmental crises may be effective. Still, it also warns that ongoing progress on the ozone layer is not guaranteed.
For example, plans to prevent global warming by injecting millions of tons of sulfur dioxide into the high atmosphere or stratospheric aerosol injection might significantly halt the ozone layer’s recovery.
