Earth’s ozone layer — damaged in the 1970s and 1980s by ozone-depleting substances — is continuing to recover well, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)’s newest Ozone and UV Bulletin, released to coincide with World Ozone Day.
By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres noted that the planet’s ozone layer over Antarctica was on track for a full recovery under current policies, though additional protection measures were crucial, UN News said.
“The phaseout of controlled uses of ozone depleting substances and the related reductions have not only helped protect the ozone layer for this and future generations, but have also contributed significantly to global efforts to address climate change; furthermore, it has protected human health and ecosystems by limiting the harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching the Earth,” the UN said.
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer celebrates the Kigali Agreement — an amendment to the Montreal Protocol — which is an international agreement that led to the end of production of ozone-depleting substances.
“The Protocol’s Kigali Amendment, which focuses on phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – powerful climate-warming gases – can contribute to advancing climate mitigation efforts, protecting people and planet,” Guterres said, as UN News reported. “And that is needed more than ever, as temperature records continue to shatter.”
Despite the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano in early 2022, WMO said the ozone layer is on “the road to long-term recovery,” following the reduction of ozone-depleting chemicals, reported Reuters.
The ozone layer is currently on course to get back to 1980 levels by approximately 2040 for most of the planet, 2045 over the Arctic and 2066 over the Antarctic, WMO said.
According to Matt Tully, chair of the Scientific Advisory Group on Ozone and Solar UV Radiation at WMO, the UN organization’s Global Atmosphere Watch Programme continuously provides essential support for the scientific study and monitoring of the ozone layer through observations, modeling, analysis, data stewardship and capacity-building, UN News said.
“It is critical that observations of ozone, ozone-depleting substances and ultraviolet (UV) radiation are maintained with the quality, resolution and global coverage necessary to account for changes in ozone over the coming decades,” Tully said. “Many factors will influence the expected recovery of ozone, which must be fully measured and understood.”
The WMO bulletin provides details on strategies for protecting humans and the environment from UV radiation while also exploring how weather patterns and the volcanic eruption in 2022 impacted the ozone hole over the Antarctic last year.
The report states that “total column ozone values in 2023 were within the range observed in previous years and in line with expectations, owing to the beginning of the decline of ozone-depleting chlorine and bromine in the stratosphere.”
Though the changes to the ozone hole explained in the bulletin are positive, the report found that atmospheric events can have big impacts on how the hole develops periodically. There are still some gaps in the understanding of these variables, and WMO said scientists will continue detailed monitoring of the ozone layer to interpret any unforeseen changes.
Cristen is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. She holds a JD and an Ocean & Coastal Law Certificate from University of Oregon School of Law and an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London. She is the author of the short story collection The Smallest of Entryways, as well as the travel biography, Ernest’s Way: An International Journey Through Hemingway’s Life.
