Earth's Ozone Layer is Repairing

Summary

The WMO has confirmed that the ozone layer is slowly repairing itself due to the global effort to phase out ozone-depleting substances, although this progress is contingent on keeping policies in place and the Kigali Agreement was added to the Montreal Agreement in 2016 to limit planet-heating chemicals. The WMO has highlighted the success of phasing out ozone-depleting chemicals as an example of what can be done to address climate change, while warning of the risks and unintended consequences of stratospheric aerosol injection.

Detailed Notes

• The WMO confirmed that the holes in the ozone layer are diminishing due to a global effort to phase out “ozone-depleting substances”.
• By 2066, the ozone layer over Antarctica should be back to what it was in 1980 and by 2045 for Arctic. For rest of world it is expected by 2040.
• Substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) were responsible for depleting the ozone layer but have been phased out globally.
• Kigali Agreement added in 2016 limits greenhouse gases which will help reduce global warming significantly up to half degree Celsius by 2100.
• Geoengineering could potentially take its own toll on ozone layers, specifically stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI).
• Ozone action has set a precedent for climate action.
• WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas urges urgent transition away from fossil fuels, reduction of greenhouse gases to limit temperature increase.