EU experts warn The ozone layer is on the road to recovery in the long term
CFC emissions have been falling since 1987. This is good for the ozone layer: the hole in the ozone layer is shrinking. Experts predict that by 2066 it could be back to its 1980 level.
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- A volcanic eruption in early 2022 jeopardized the recovery of the ozone layer.
- Researchers have now given the all-clear: The damage has been minimized.
- It can still be assumed that the hole in the ozone layer will be closed again by 2066.
At the beginning of 2022, experts feared a setback in the fight against the ozone hole. A volcano erupted in the South Pacific island state of Tonga and the water vapor posed a risk to the ozone layer.
Now the all-clear has been given: the United Nations has announced that efforts to minimize the impact of the eruption on the ozone layer have borne fruit. This was reported by the news agency Reuters.
According to the report, the ozone layer is still expected to recover. According to United Nations researchers, the hole in the ozone layer will be back to its 1980 level by 2066.
Ozone hole to have disappeared by 2066
As the hole in the ozone layer was only discovered in the 1980s - its existence was officially proven in 1985 - this statement is tantamount to closing the hole in the ozone layer.
In 1987, 24 governments and the Commission of the European Community committed themselves to reducing emissions of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Since then, the production of these harmful chemicals has fallen by 95 percent.
CFCs were invented in 1930 and were used in aerosol cans or as coolants in refrigerators and air conditioning systems. They could also be used as cleaning agents. They were largely banned after it became clear that their release played a significant role in enlarging the hole in the ozone layer.
