Nearly 40 years ago scientists sounded the environmental alarm bells because they'd
discovered something terrifying... way up there; a growing hole in the Ozone layer,
and life as we know it was speeding towards a sizzling end if we didn't act fast. So, we did.
Between us and the vast vacuum of outer space is a whole lot of sky. But, if we want to get technical
it's the Atmosphere; several layers of gasses that keep us cosy and well, alive down here.
About 20 to 30 kays up, in the stratosphere, is the Ozone layer,
which plays an essential role in our survival. Ozone is a molecule that's made up of three
oxygen atoms and these little guys suck up ultraviolet radiation from the sun. In fact,
the Ozone layer absorbs about 98% of the UV rays that the sun spits at earth. Which is a fabulous
thing for us because while we do need some of the sun's UV rays to produce Vitamin D and help plants
photosynthesize too much UV radiation can damage DNA and cause things like
skin cancer and even blindness. Without any Ozone layer we wouldn't be able to go outside or grow
food and eventually all life on earth would die out, and in the 1980s that was a very real threat.
The atmosphere is primed for a large destruction of ozone.
The purple area in the centre of these satellite photos shows the hole in the
ozone layer found over the Antarctic. Yep, in 1985, scientists discovered that Ozone
levels around the Antarctic were dropping fast, and we were on track to completely
destroy the Ozone layer by 2050. Ozone depletion
in the atmosphere is getting worse. It will probably prove to be the most life
threatening environmental disaster of our time. It could be a very serious problem.
The whole situation was pretty bleak, and the whole world was in despair. But how did something so
catastrophic happen in the first place? Well, it all came down to pollution from
chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. Back then, CFCs were used in lots of products
including things like fridges, air conditioners, and aerosols. CFCs are made up from carbon,
chlorine, and fluorine, but when released into the atmosphere and exposed to UV rays they breakdown
and the chlorine rips the Ozone molecules apart, which scientists say created the hole.
Now, the hole isn't an actual hole. It's a low concentration of Ozone or thinning
of the layer that reoccurs every Antarctic Spring. Nevertheless, it's our crucial layer
of sun protection and by 1987, Ozone levels had dropped by a whopping 50 per cent! Add on the
fact that CFCs hang around up there for between 50-150 years, yeah, that's a lot of damage.
It's the equivalent of making the sun more powerful. Now, we've never lived with that, and we
don't know the consequences. But we do know we're setting in motion very powerful forces.
It even spread into 80s pop culture. Thought you said this was going to be a smooth
trip. It’s those damn fluorocarbons. They’ve been kicking hell out of the ozone. See my friends,
if we don’t save the ozone layer, we simply won’t have to worry about those issues because
none of us will be here. The world sat up and took notice
of the science, and all the public awareness put pressure on officials to do something about it.
I think we should all be aware of the size of the challenge we are faced with.
In September 1987, at a conference in Montreal, world leaders came together to take action.
Every single country signed the Montreal Protocol, which officially recognised the impacts on the
Ozone layer, and listed steps for countries to phase out their Ozone-munching chemical usage.
It's now cemented itself in as the most successful environmental agreement in human history.
Today, CFCs are a thing of the past and the Ozone layer is bouncing back which
experts say is all thanks to the ground-breaking Montreal Protocol.
They even reckon that the Ozone layer could fully recover for most of the world by 2040,
and the bigger holes in the Arctic and Antarctic by 2045 and 2066 respectively.
The phase out of nearly 99 percent of banned ozone-depleting substances has succeeded in
safeguarding the ozone layer, leading to notable recovery of the ozone layer in the
upper stratosphere and decreased human exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun.
The UN says that the Ozone's healing is saving two million people every year from skin cancer, and
the EPA in the US says that without the protocol the world would be 25% hotter. Ultimately,
what the Montreal Protocol has proved is that the world can come together to create necessary change. So,
can we repeat history for the current climate crisis? Well, there’s still a lot work to do.
Got to get in the shade. Don’t want to get sunburnt. Rays and stuff.