<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/09/ozone-layer-healed-within-decades-un-report>
"The hole in the Earth’s ozone layer, once the most feared environmental peril
facing humanity, is set to be completely healed over most of the world within
two decades following decisive action by governments to phase out
ozone-depleting substances, a new UN assessment has found.
The loss of the ozone layer, which risked exposing people to harmful
ultraviolet rays from the sun, is on track to be completely recovered by 2040
across the world, aside from the polar regions, according to the report. The
poles will take a little longer – the ozone layer will fully bounce back by
2045 over the Arctic and by 2066 over the Antarctic.
Following alarm over the loss of ozone in the 1980s, the ozone layer has been
steadily improving in the wake of the 1989 Montreal protocol, an international
agreement that has helped eliminate 99% of ozone-depleting chemicals, such as
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were used as solvents and refrigerants.
The UN said the action taken on the ozone layer had also bolstered the more
ponderous response to the climate crisis – CFCs are also greenhouse gases and
their continued uncontrolled use would have raised global temperatures by as
much as 1C by the middle of the century, worsening an already dire situation
where planet-heating gases are still not declining.
“Ozone action sets a precedent for climate action,” said Petteri Taalas,
secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, which unveiled the
progress report, which is conducted every four years, on Monday. “Our success
in phasing out ozone-eating chemicals shows us what can and must be done as a
matter of urgency to transition away from fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases
and so limit temperature increase.”
The unified global response to dealing with CFCs means that the Montreal
agreement should be considered “the most successful environmental treaty in
history and offers encouragement that countries of the world can come together
and decide an outcome and act on it”, according to David Fahey, a scientist at
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who is a lead author of the new
assessment."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
