Over the next four decades, by 2066, the ozone layer at the top of the atmosphere is expected to return to normal if implemented measures continue. He shows a new one report several United Nations organisations, as well as US and EU authorities.

In the 1980s, the ozone layer was being destroyed due to large emissions of harmful gases, known as CFCs. In 1987, the member states of the UN therefore agreed on a protocol aimed at limiting the emissions of these gases.

It is considered one of the most successful international agreements of all time, and it has virtually stopped harmful emissions. In addition, the gases that damaged the ozone layer also turned out to be greenhouse gases, and it is estimated that the increase in global temperature of one degree was avoided by phasing them out.

Comes with warning

A new generation of gas will be phased out through an addition to the protocol adopted in 2022.

But the report comes with an important caveat. The fight to preserve the ozone layer goes hand in hand with the fight to limit climate change.

Controversial plans to limit global warming by injecting sulfur particles into the upper atmosphere have become more popular in recent years. This in turn can create problems for the ozone layer, the researchers warn.

Natural Examples

It is a balance that researchers and politicians will have to find in the years to come. Natural examples of large volcanic eruptions have indeed shown that sulfur injections are very effective: when the Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines erupted in 1991, it lowered global temperatures for just over a year.

The UN’s climate panel, the IPCC, has also warned of other consequences of such measures, part of what is called geoengineering: among other things, it can destroy the rhythm of monsoon rains in Africa and Asia, on which much of the world’s food production depends.

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