International. On September 16, the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was celebrated, an initiative led by the United Nations (UN Environment) with the Ozone Secretariat.
This year, the initiative highlighted and celebrated more than three decades of international cooperation in the fight to protect the ozone layer and climate under the Montreal Protocol and, likewise, recalls that we must maintain the momentum to ensure healthy people and a healthy planet.
The UN stressed that thanks to the Montreal Protocol, 99 percent of ozone-polluting chemicals have been eliminated through refrigerators, air conditioners and many other products.
The latest scientific assessment on ozone depletion conducted in 2018 shows that parts of the ozone layer have been recovered by 1-3% per decade since 2000. Thus, ozone is expected to fully recover in the northern hemisphere and mid-latitude areas in the 2030s, while for the southern hemisphere recovery will come in 2050 and in the polar regions by 2060. Efforts to protect the ozone layer have also contributed to the fight against climate change by avoiding around 135 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions between 1990 and 2010.
"On this World Ozone Day, we can celebrate our success. But we must all work to preserve these results, in particular by staying vigilant and addressing any illegal sources of substances that can damage the ozone layer. We must also wholeheartedly support the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which entered into force on 1 January 2019. By phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful climate-warming gases, this amendment can prevent global temperature increases of up to 0.4°C by the end of the century, while continuing to protect the ozone layer. If we add to this actions to improve energy efficiency in the refrigeration industry, with the same objective of reducing HFCs, we can achieve greater climate benefits," says the UN.
The ozone layer is a fragile strip of gas that protects the Earth from the harmful effects of the sun's rays, thus contributing to preserving life on the planet. However, the use for years of certain chemicals damaged it, endangering our own existence and that of the rest of the living beings on the planet.
Source: UN.
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