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7. World Ozone Day: How the ozone is reviving

Did you know since 2000, 1-3% of the ozone has completely recovered and continues to heal even today? Celebrating the World Ozone Day, here’s how 32 years of active contribution has initiated the recovery of ozone layer.   MAIN BODY: Every year, 16th September celebrates the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer or the World Ozone Day to spread awareness and educate about the significance of ozone depletion. This year the theme is “32 Years and Healing”.   THE DEPLETION The ozone is that delicate shield surrounding the earth that protects us from the true culprit of all skin issues – ultraviolet rays.   But around the 1970s, this protective shield had begun to shrink at a high rate. At worst, by the 1990s 10% of the layer had already depleted! This was alarming for countries all across the world; if it could happen over there, it could happen over here right? That led to the Montreal Protocol (December 19, 2000) which banned all industrial production of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and substances that deplete the ozone.    THE RENEWAL Come 2018, this is when the good news begins to spring up. Researchers discovered the ozone hole over the South Pole had shrunk 16% smaller than the biggest hole ever recorded – 1.14 crore square miles in 2006 and was now a lesser 96 lakh square miles.  In-depth research found it was the declining levels of chlorine and bromine that contributed the most to this drastic recovery.   THE CONCERNS Brian Toon, University of Colorado, points out that it’s not a complete success. “We are only at a point where recovery may have started.” Newman, part of the research team, also added that it’s possible the healed ozone layer might cause more damage to Antarctica’s climate than do the opposite of that.    BOTTOM LINE Even though there are certain drawbacks, clarity lies in the fact that without the ozone layer bigger issues on a larger scale will rise up. It’s the immediate causes we need to look out for which are capable of creating havoc on a much larger scale. Today as per the proceeding rate, the ozone layer has been assumed to be fully recovered by 2060.