Ozone Layer Slowly Healing, on Track To Recover by 2066 Amid Decline in Airborne Chemicals, Scientists Say

Scientists say that the ozone layer, which is a crucial protector of life on our planet, is on track to slowly recover to full strength by 2066 amid a decline in airborne chemicals following the success of global efforts.

The situation is a result of nations stopping the use of harmful chemicals that had been destroying the critical layer in the upper atmosphere. On Monday, scientists said in a report for the United Nations that China had largely eliminated rogue emissions of one of these chemicals, known as CFC-11.

Recovery of the Ozone Layer

The chemical was once widely used as a refrigerant and in foam insulation after it was first synthesized a century ago. Along with similarly harmful chemicals, which are collectively known as chlorofluorocarbons, CFC-11 destroys the ozone layer, which is the one that blocks ultraviolet radiation from the sun that can cause skin cancer and harm living things.

Under the Montreal Protocol, which is a landmark environmental agreement that was implemented in 1989, all chlorofluorocarbons were banned. If countries are able to continue maintaining the bans on these and other chemicals, ozone levels between the polar regions are expected to reach pre-1980 levels by 2040, as per the New York Times.

Furthermore, scientists anticipate ozone holes, which are regions of greater depletion that appear regularly near the South Pole and North Pole, albeit less frequently, to recover by 2045 in the Arctic and in 2066 in Antarctica.

In a statement, the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Chemical Sciences Laboratory and a co-chairman of the protocol's scientific assessment panel, David W. Fahey, said that the recovery of the ozone layer is on track.

He added that the peak destruction of the global ozone layer was behind us due to the effectiveness of the control measures that the Montreal Protocol has provided to those who have adopted it.

Ban on Chlorofluorocarbons

According to Yahoo News, Paul Newman, a co-chair of the scientific assessment, said that in the upper stratosphere and in the ozone hole, things were getting better. The report, which was presented at the American Meteorological Society convention in Denver on Monday, noted that the progress was slow.

For a long time, scientists and environmental advocates across the world have hailed the efforts to heal the ozone hole. In a statement, World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas said that ozone action sets a precedent for climate action.

He added that the success in phasing out ozone-eating chemicals shows what can and must be done, as a matter of urgency, to turn away from fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gasses, and limit the increase of global temperatures.

The optimistic situation comes as ozone-depleting gasses are also potent greenhouse gases and without the ban set by the Montreal Protocol, the world could have seen additional warming of up to 1 degree Celsius.

Since the industrial revolution, our planet has already warmed by around 1.2 degrees and scientists warned that it should not exceed 1.5 degrees or there would be dire consequences related to a climate crisis, CNN reported.