UWSCollege The Ozone Hole

Following the publication of an article in the reputable British science journal Nature in 1985, a new environmental problem was suddenly on everybody’s lips - there was a hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctic.

At ground level, ozone is a pollutant but in the upper atmosphere (the stratosphere) a thin ozone layer protects people, animals, and plants by filtering out the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UVB) rays.

Once reaching the atmosphere, the CFCs are broken down by high energy solar ultraviolet radiation into free chlorine.

At ground level, ozone is a pollutant but in the upper atmosphere (the stratosphere) a thin ozone layer protects people, animals, and plants by filtering out the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UVB) rays.

At ground level, ozone is a pollutant but in the upper atmosphere (the stratosphere) a thin ozone layer protects people, animals, and plants by filtering out the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UVB) rays.

Once reaching the atmosphere, the CFCs are broken down by high energy solar ultraviolet radiation into free chlorine.

Although the ozone hole of 1985 appeared over an essentially uninhabited area, its finding marked a crucial turning point in public awareness, because observation for the first time confirmed what had until then only been theoretical speculations.

Although the ozone hole of 1985 appeared over an essentially uninhabited area, its finding marked a crucial turning point in public awareness, because observation for the first time confirmed what had until then only been theoretical speculations.

Although the ozone hole of 1985 appeared over an essentially uninhabited area, its finding marked a crucial turning point in public awareness, because observation for the first time confirmed what had until then only been theoretical speculations.

Since then it has been unequivocally corroborated that the ozone layer over the inhabited mid-latitudes also has declined:- in 1998 by about 3-6 % below 1979 levels.

Since then it has been unequivocally corroborated that the ozone layer over the inhabited mid-latitudes also has declined:- in 1998 by about 3-6 % below 1979 levels.

Since then it has been unequivocally corroborated that the ozone layer over the inhabited mid-latitudes also has declined:- in 1998 by about 3-6 % below 1979 levels.

Since then it has been unequivocally corroborated that the ozone layer over the inhabited mid-latitudes also has declined:- in 1998 by about 3-6 % below 1979 levels.

This is important since a thinner ozone layer lets more UVB rays through, increasing eye diseases (cataracts), skin cancer and photo-aging (wrinkling and pre-mature aging of skin).

The ozone depletion was caused by human activity.

CFCs had become common since the 1930s, because they were cheap, chemically stable and completely non-toxic.

During the 1960s the use of CFCs exploded and they were used among other things in refrigerators, spray cans and air-conditioners and as foam blowing agents and solvents.

During the 1960s the use of CFCs exploded and they were used among other things in refrigerators, spray cans and air-conditioners and as foam blowing agents and solvents.

The Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987, followed by the London (1990), Copenhagen (1992), Vienna (1995) protocols, a second Montreal protocol (1997) and the Beijing Protocol in 1999.

The aim of these international agreements was initially to halve the consumption of the five main CFC gases in relation to 1986 figures and later to ban them almost entirely.

The latest synthesis report of the UNEP ozone assessment predicts that “the ozone layer will slowly recover over the next 50 years.

The case of the depleted ozone layer and the solution through restrictive protocols is seen as a success story, in which the world community finally pulled itself together and put the environment before money.

It is also cited as an example of a successful application of the principle of caution, but neither of these interpretations is quite accurate.

In fact, it is worth pointing out that the implementation of the CFC ban was strictly profitable.

It was actually relatively inexpensive to find substitutes for CFCs and at the same time the environmental advantages were significantly obvious.

On top of this substantial saving is the added benefit of 333,500 fewer skin cancer deaths.

However, these are global figures accumulated over the next 63 years, which because of the long time and the number of people, easily get very large.

While they clearly show that global intervention was justified, it is also important to get a feel of the actual, personal consequences of the thinning of the ozone layer.

While they clearly show that global intervention was justified, it is also important to get a feel of the actual, personal consequences of the thinning of the ozone layer.

This is in no small part because the media will tell us about the “frightening” increases in skin cancer, “linked to increased UV levels penetrating Earth’s depleted ozone layer”.

Although the skin cancer rate has increased dramatically over the twentieth century, the long latency period means that the increases we see today are due to much more mundane causes.

Although the skin cancer rate has increased dramatically over the twentieth century, the long latency period means that the increases we see today are due to much more mundane causes.

As concluded in a recent study, the skin cancer increase must be attributed to harmful solar UV-B levels existing even in the 1960s, accentuated later not by ozone depletion (which started only much later, by 1979) but by other causes, such as a longer human life span, better medical screening and increased tendencies of sunbathing at beaches in affluent societies.

As concluded in a recent study, the skin cancer increase must be attributed to harmful solar UV-B levels existing even in the 1960s, accentuated later not by ozone depletion (which started only much later, by 1979) but by other causes, such as a longer human life span, better medical screening and increased tendencies of sunbathing at beaches in affluent societies.

As concluded in a recent study, the skin cancer increase must be attributed to harmful solar UV-B levels existing even in the 1960s, accentuated later not by ozone depletion (which started only much later, by 1979) but by other causes, such as a longer human life span, better medical screening and increased tendencies of sunbathing at beaches in affluent societies.

However, the present-day thinning of the ozone layer and the concomitant rise in UV-B will cause more skin cancer in the future.

Had the Montreal and consecutive protocols not been implemented, skin cancer would have more than tripled by 21000, but now ozone depletion will cause a very much smaller excess of skin cancer.

Had the Montreal and consecutive protocols not been implemented, skin cancer would have more than tripled by 21000, but now ozone depletion will cause a very much smaller excess of skin cancer.

Had the Montreal and consecutive protocols not been implemented, skin cancer would have more than tripled by 21000, but now ozone depletion will cause a very much smaller excess of skin cancer.