Ozone layer has begun to recover, say UN scientists
A 'major environmental success story', but scientists warn urgent action is now required to tackle climate change
The ozone layer is "well on track to recovery" after decades of depletion due to strong international action, a UN study has revealed.
The report , compiled by 282 scientists from 36 countries, concluded that if current trends continue, the ozone layer is expected to return to benchmark levels by 2050, and slightly later over Antarctica.
The phasing out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone depleting substances is responsible for the positive change, a process which began after the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"International action on the ozone layer is a major environmental success story," said World Meteorological Organization (WMO) secretary-general Michel Jarraud.
Scientists predict that the international treaty on protecting the ozone layer will end up preventing two million cases of skin cancer due to high UV exposure and significant damage to wildlife and the environment.
"We have to be a bit cautious, but this does look on the face of it like some very good news," Dr Ken Jucks from Nasa told the BBC. The findings "underline the potential power of international agreements", he said.
However, the report warns that potent greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane have "the potential to undermine these gains". This comes as the WMO said this week that the levels of greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere were at a record high.
"The challenges that we face are still huge," warned UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Envionment Programme executive director Achim Steiner. "This should encourage us to display the same level of urgency and unity to tackle the even greater challenge of climate change."
Later this month the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will host a global conference in New York in order to "catalyse action on climate change".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rain
Speed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How the EU undermines its climate goals with animal farming subsidies
Under the radar Bloc's agricultural policy incentivises carbon-intensive animal farming over growing crops, despite aims to be carbon-neutral
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Can the world really wean itself off coal?
Today's Big Question 'Record' global consumption is set to fall soon but growing demand in China and India could increase tensions
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The microplastics hurricanes blowing across North America
Under the Radar New research confirms global pervasiveness of harmful microplastic pollution
By The Week Staff Published
-
What can Cop28 really achieve?
Today's Big Question Climate summit in UAE proves controversial as UN warns world is falling short of global warming targets
By The Week UK Published
-
A23a: why world's biggest iceberg is on the move
The Explainer The mass of ice is four times the size of New York and 'essentially' an island
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Libya floods: death toll set to rise with 10,000 reported missing
More than 6,000 people reported dead, with hundreds of bodies still washing ashore
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
Thousands feared dead in catastrophic Libya flooding
Speed Read A powerful Mediterranean storm pummeled Libya's northeast coast, wiping out entire neighborhoods
By Peter Weber Published