Eco-Lizzie

The tough part about having a blog on environmental issues is constantly having to write about bad news. Rising temperatures, stronger hurricanes, wildfires, and melting glaciers can make it seem like climate change is an insurmountable threat. That’s why I think it’s important to celebrate environmental success stories to remind us that the fight for a better future isn’t fruitless. One of the biggest recent events is something you may not have heard about: the ozone layer is actually healing.

If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, hearing about the hole in the ozone layer was commonplace, and you might assume it’s still getting worse. Surprisingly, that’s no longer the case. Scientists have found that the ozone layer has been actually recovering for decades due to the largest international treaty in history.  If current trends continue, the ozone layer is expected to recover to its levels in 1980 by around 2050.

The ozone layer is a region of Earth’s atmosphere that contains… well, ozone, which is a gas made of three oxygen atoms. This layer absorbs most of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation before it reaches the surface. Without it, people would face much higher rates of skin cancer, crops would be damaged, and marine ecosystems would suffer.

The biggest problem causing the hole in the ozone layer was the chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). These chemicals were used for refrigerators, air conditioners, and aerosol spray cans like hairspray. Once released into the atmosphere, CFCs eventually reached the ozone layer, where sunlight broke them apart and released chlorine atoms. A chlorine atom can destroy thousands of ozone molecules, making these chemicals very dangerous even when being released in relatively small amounts.

However, the world came together to solve the problem. In 1987, 198 countries signed an international agreement called the Montreal Protocol, which eliminated the production of ozone-depleting chemicals like CFCs. Today, every country in the world has joined the agreement, making it the most successful environmental treaty ever, and the only treaty with support from every single recognized country in the world. You know something is serious when you can get the entire world to agree to take action. Because these chemicals are no longer being produced in large quantities, the ozone layer has finally been able to begin repairing itself.

Here’s what you can do to help: While most ozone depleting chemicals have already been phased out, you can still support policies that protect the environment and choose to properly recycle old refrigerators and air conditioners instead of throwing them away. These older appliances can still contain harmful chemicals that can escape into the ozone layer if not disposed of correctly. But the broader lesson to take from this is to remember that environmental problems aren’t impossible to solve. The recovery of the ozone layer shows that when governments, scientists, businesses, and everyday people work together, meaningful environmental progress is possible.