Study Shows Global Treaties Helped Recover Ozone Layer

A study published by Science magazine shows that 30 years after its discovery, the hole in the Ozone Layer is finally recovering. Much of this is due to the establishment of global treaties that determined the reduction (or end) of the use of environmentally harmful chemicals.

However, the scientists involved in the project say they are not entirely sure why the hole is "healing." The study uses data generated from balloons and satellites that measured the area occupied by the Ozone Layer between 2000 and 2015.

Since the beginning of the observation, the hole has shrunk by about 4 million square kilometers - an area similar to half of the continental United States. Using computer analyzes that take into account changes in wind and temperature on the planet, the study authors state that half of this reduction can be attributed to a decline in the use of gases such as chlorine and bromine.

Beginning in 1987 with the Montreal Pact, several governments worldwide decided to phase out the use of chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were then used in hair sprays, aerosol cans and refrigerators. These elements were responsible for accelerating the destruction of the Ozone Layer, which filters out the sun's ultraviolet rays that cause damage to humans and the environment.

A single CFC molecule can remain in the atmosphere for 20 to 100 years and can destroy 100, 000 ozone molecules. Previous studies have shown that there has been a slowdown in the destruction of the protective layer since the Montreal Pact and that it began to recover in 2014 - even though the Antarctic hole reached a record size in 2015.

"We are beginning to see clear signs that the actions society has taken to eliminate chlorofluocarbons are having the intended effect, " says Susan Solomon, professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Science at MIT and lead author of the study. "This is a global problem and we have to put ourselves on a good track to solve it."

Via TecMundo.