At the American Meteorological Society’s annual meeting in Denver on Monday, a UN-appointed panel of experts pointed out that the ozone layer is currently on track to recover over the next few decades. The decision to phase out many ozone-depleting substances also benefits climate protection.
If current trajectories are maintained, the ozone layer should recover to 1980 levels by about 2066 in Antarctica, 2045 in the Arctic and 2040 in the rest of the world – that was before the ozone hole formed. In 1987, the UN agreed in the Montreal Protocol to end hydrochlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) because they deplete the ozone layer. This layer in the Earth’s atmosphere protects the Earth from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
After the CFC came the HFC phase-out
The additional end agreed by the United Nations in 2016 for certain chemical refrigerants, the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), could reduce global warming by 0.3 to 0.5 degrees by 2100, the experts write. Trifluoromethane is not included in the calculation. For example, HFCs are used in refrigerators and sometimes also in heat pumps or air conditioning systems. For some time, the gases were considered an alternative to CFCs.
Although HFCs do not affect the ozone layer, they are significantly more harmful to the climate than CO2, for example. In line with the Montreal Convention, an agreement followed in 2016 to phase out the use of HFCs. (SDA)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
