International Day of the Ozone Layer 2020 commemorates the date of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer on the 16th September 1987. We all know what the Ozone layer is but why is it so important?
The ozone layer is a fragile shield of gas which protects the Earth from the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the sun’s rays, thus preserving life on the planet. The Montreal Protocol has led to the phase-out of 99 per cent of ozone-depleting chemicals in refrigerators, air-conditioners and many other products.
The theme for this year celebrates over three decades of international cooperation to protect the ozone layer and the climate under the Montreal Protocol. It reminds us that we must keep up the momentum to ensure healthy people and a healthy planet.
With the Covid 19 crisis and the subsequent global reduction in air and road travel scientists revealed the hole observed in the ozone layer above the Arctic has now healed itself. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) tweeted about the development. “The unprecedented 2020 northern hemisphere #OzoneHole has come to an end. However the Antarctic Ozone hole is much bigger and although has reduced in size this year is not expected to heal itself without much more human intervention. Ie improving air quality and cutting back on greenhouse gases.
Extract from the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer’s website
32 Years and Healing
"The latest Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion completed in 2018, shows that, as a result, parts of the ozone layer have recovered at a rate of 1-3% per decade since 2000. At projected rates, Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone will heal completely by the 2030s.
The Southern Hemisphere will follow in the 2050s and Polar Regions by 2060. Ozone layer protection efforts have also contributed to the fight against climate change by averting an estimated 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, from 1990 to 2010.
On this World Ozone Day, we can celebrate our success. But we must all push to keep hold of these gains, in particular by remaining vigilant and tackling any illegal sources of ozone-depleting substances as they arise. We must also wholeheartedly support the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which entered into force on 1 January 2019. By phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are potent climate-warming gases, this amendment can avoid up to 0.4°C of global temperature rise by the end of the century, while continuing to protect the ozone layer. And by combining action to phase-down HFCs with energy efficiency improvements in the cooling industry, we can achieve bigger climate benefits.
Let’s keep on working and healing together!”