The ozone layer is set to fully recover over the next few decades as chemicals that destroy Earth’s protection are phased out around the world, according to a new United Nations-backed assessment.
If global policies remain in place, the ozone layer is expected to recover by 2040 in most parts of the world. For polar areas, the recovery period is longer: 2045 in the Arctic and 2066 in Antarctica.
International cooperation helped contain the damage. The use of CFCs has dropped by 99% since the Montreal Protocol came into effect in 1989, which initiated the elimination of these and other harmful chemicals, according to an expert panel assessment published on Monday (9).
The ozone layer protects the planet from harmful ultraviolet rays. Since the late 1980s, scientists have warned of a hole in this shield, caused by substances that deplete the ozone layer, including chlorofluorocarbons, nicknamed CFCs, often found in refrigerators, aerosols and solvents.
“Ozone action sets a precedent for climate action. Our success in phasing out ozone-eating chemicals shows us what can and must be done – as a matter of urgency – to move away from fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases and limit the rise in temperature.” World Meteorological Organization, Petteri Taalas.
Ozone-depleting gases are also potent greenhouse gases, and without a ban, the world could have seen up to 1°C additional warming, according to a 2021 study published in the journal Nature.
The planet has already warmed by around 1.2°C since the Industrial Revolution, and scientists have warned that it should be limited to 1.5°C to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis.
Warming above 1.5°C would dramatically increase the risk of extreme drought, wildfires, flooding and food shortages, scientists have reported.
For the first time in this assessment, published every four years, the scientists also looked at the perspective of solar geoengineering: the attempt to reduce global warming through measures such as spraying aerosols into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight away from the Earth’s atmosphere. .
They found that stratospheric aerosol injection could help reduce climate warming, but warned there could be unintended consequences.
Deploying the technology “may also affect stratospheric temperatures, circulation, and rates of ozone production and depletion and transport,” the report found.
Source: CNN Brasil
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