PARIS: The hole in the Antarctic ozone layer has been getting deeper in mid-spring over the last two decades, despite a global ban on chemicals that deplete Earth’s shield from deadly solar radiation, new research suggested.
The ozone layer 11 to 40 km above Earth’s surface filters out most of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation, which can cause skin cancer and cataracts.
From the mid-1970s, chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) — once widely used in aerosols and refrigerators — were found to be reducing ozone levels, creating annual holes largely over the Antarctica region.
The 1987 Montreal Protocol, which banned CFCs in a bid to close the hole, is considered a success story for international environmental cooperation.
In January, a major UN-backed assessment found that the agreement was working. It projected the ozone layer should be restored to 1980 levels over the Antarctic by around 2066. Smaller holes over the Arctic were projected to recover by 2045. — AFP
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