Experts have confirmed that the ozone layer of our planet is continuously repairing itself.
In 1987, the Montreal Protocol was agreed.
The intention of the protocol was to protect the ozone layer of our planet and help it repair itself.
A study that was released earlier this week confirmed that the protocol, which was signed in 1987m is working.
The treaty was designed to help protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for the depletion of our ozone layer.
The substances harmful to the ozone layer were often found in commercial and home refrigerants, industrial solvents, aerosol spray propellants, and foam-blowing agents such as fire extinguishers.
In 2000, there was evidence that traces of these chemicals in the stratosphere have started to decline.
The drop in the traces of the chemicals helped the ozone layer repair itself.
Antara Banerjee, the lead author of the new study, a CIREES Visiting Fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder who works in the Chemical Sciences Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), talked about the evidence that their research found.
Antara said, “This study adds to growing evidence showing the profound effectiveness of the Montreal Protocol. Not only has the treaty spurred healing of the ozone layer, it’s also driving recent changes in Southern Hemisphere air circulation patterns.”
Antara added, “The challenge in this study was proving our hypothesis that ozone recovery is in fact driving these atmospheric circulation changes and it isn’t just a coincidence.”
It is good to hear that the ozone layer is doing a lot of things to repair itself.
However, we cannot forget the fact that greenhouse gasses such as CO2 cause global warming too.
CO2 does not really have direct effects on the ozone layer, however their affect is mainly towards global warming.
Banerjee said, “It’s the tug of war between the opposing effects of ozone recovery and rising greenhouse gases that will determine future trends.”
In 2018, a study by NASA detected first proof of ozone hole recovery due to chemical ban.
Measurements showed that the decline in chlorine, resulting from an international ban on chlorine-containing manmade chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), resulted in around 20 percent less ozone depletion during the Antarctic Winter than there was in 2005.
Susan Strahan, an atmospheric scientist from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the lead author of the study, said, “We see very clearly that chlorine from CFCs is going down in the ozone hole, and that less ozone depletion is occurring because of it.”
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, people have been staying inside more and it has caused a lot of companies to shut down.
These impacts have shown a lot of decrease in the CO2 production in the world.