FollowWe have good news regarding our dear planet Earth. The enormous hole in our planet’s ozone layer is starting to recover and it’s shrinking. The atmospheric layer that protects the Earth from the sun’s damaging UV rays is slowly healing itself, according to a report made by the United Nations on Wednesday. Scientists believe that the recovering is due to the stopping of the chemicals used in air conditioners, aerosol cans and refrigerators.
Mario Molina, a chemist and a winner of the Nobel Prize for his research and studies into the ozone layer stated that “It’s a victory for diplomacy and for science and for the fact that we were able to work together.”
In the 1970 scientists first discovered that chlorofluorocarbons had damaged the ozone layer and made a whole above the Antarctica. If this had been left unchecked, the destruction of the ozone layer could have caused a higher rate of skin diseases like skin cancer, disrupt plant growth and also the increase of the harmful UV rays would have destabilized the aquatic food chain.
Fortunately for our Planet and for its inhabitants world leaders agreed in 1987 to the stopping of the harmful chlorofluorocarbons. Of course, the industry objected at that time say that it was all based on speculation and there weren’t any real proof and this could lead to many lost jobs.
The Ozone Layer is Recovering, slowly but surely
According to the new studies the ozone layer will be relatively healthy by 2050. However, around the Antarctic, where the ozone layer is the most damaged, it will be around 2075.
This is actually the first time the scientists have discovered a relevant increase in the ozone layer, which gives us hope for the future of our planet.
The ozone layer is still 6% thinner than it was in the 1980s and there are still damaging chemicals that threaten it every day but we hope that in the future things will improve.
