The discovery of the holes in the ozone layer and how the problem was addressed through the Montreal Protocol, is a clear example of how research and scientific discoveries on climatic and environmental anomalies can be successfully discussed and resolved by nations through agreements, treaties and protocols, when there is consensus and the will to do so.
However, the fulfillment and final success of the agreements depends on humans, but above all on the countries, their leaders and businessmen. Control and supervision are essential, but if they do not work locally, the resource of observation by scientists and specialists remains through the resources available to science and high technology. To NASA we must recognize the constant monitoring of the atmosphere, and in this case of the ozone layer, crucial to know the state of the matter.
For the ozone layer to recover it is necessary that the Montreal Protocol is fulfilled. We say this because something has recently been detected that is not working as agreed. "For six years the decrease in the presence of chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere had slowed down by 50%." There are already certain indications of some factors that cause it, but there are still others to be found out, and especially where are the places from which the illegal emissions come.
The Montreal Protocol banned the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), after it was found that the colorless gas caused significant damage to the ozone layer. This molecule is released mainly by refrigeration systems, such as refrigerators and air conditioners, and by aerosols.
To a large extent, CFCs were replaced by hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which also damage the ozone layer, although their effect is almost 20 times less. Therefore HCFC is a temporary replacement until a completely clean method is achieved in the future.
The ozone layer is our planet's natural filter that protects us from powerful ultraviolet (UV) rays. With its help, the risks of contracting skin cancer or cataracts, among other diseases, are reduced. That is why it is so important that the Montreal Protocol agreements are complied with.
NASA claims that, if the Montreal Protocol had not been signed, two-thirds of the ozone layer would have been destroyed. UV radiation, which damages DNA, would have increased six times. Just five minutes of exposure to the Sun would have caused skin burns.
“The hole in the ozone layer is an area of the Earth's atmosphere where abnormal reductions in the ozone layer occur. It is an annual phenomenon observed during the spring in the polar regions and that is followed by a recovery during the summer ”.
The southern hemisphere of the Earth is the most affected by the problem of ozone holes, located largely over Antarctica. In Latin America, Chile and Argentina are the two most vulnerable countries.
Timeline of the Montreal Protocol
- Frank Sherwood Rowland, an American scientist, and his collaborator Mario Molina, a Mexican scientist, were the first to show that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in refrigeration systems and as atomizer propellants were lethal to the ozone layer that protects life on earth. In 1995 they shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with the Dutch Paul Crutzen. Rowland and Molina testify their discoveries before a hearing of the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the month of December. The National Academy of Sciences of the United States publishes a report that validates the results and lends credence to the Molina and Rowland hypothesis.During the 1980s, the DuPont firm, the world's largest CFC producer, tried unsuccessfully to convince the United States government,and to the general public that CFCs are not responsible for ozone depletion. May 16 Joseph Farman, Brian Gardiner and John Shanklin, who worked for the British Antarctic Service, shake the world by publishing in the Nature magazine an article that documented how the ozone layer, located on the Antarctic continent, was shrinking faster than anticipated. Two years later, the Montreal Protocol was signed, an agreement that prohibits the use of CFCs. Representatives of 43 nations sign the Montreal Protocol. Commit to maintaining 1986 CFC production levels and reducing them by 50% by 1999 The Montreal Protocol enters into force on January 1 As more scientific evidence accumulates on the human origin of ozone increase or decrease of the atmosphere,a new agreement is signed in 1990 in London. Participants commit to fully phase out CFCs by the year 2000. Only a small percentage marked as essential use, such as asthma inhalers, is allowed. A new meeting in Copenhagen advances the CFC phase-out date to 1996. Wishes that in later years they would be shown to be overly optimistic.
1992-1999. The Montreal Protocol document was revised several times: 1991, Nairobi; 1992, Copenhagen; 1993, Bangkok; 1995, Vienna; 1997, Montreal and in 1999, Beijing.
- The twelve countries of the European Community ban as of January 1, 1995 the use of CFCs, which are temporarily replaced by HCFCs, as they are 20 times less destructive than CFCs, until a definitive substitute is found. NASA finds that ozone depletion over Antarctica had remained the same as in the previous three years. The ozone hole reaches its second-largest extent in history. The use of CFCs is banned globally. This year's scientific evaluation states that “The Montreal Protocol is working. There are clear signs of a decrease in the presence of ozone-depleting substances and some early signs of a recovery of stratospheric ozone ”.The Parties to the Protocol have agreed this year as a limit to set the production levels of HCFCs and agreed to start the reduction process as of 2015. On June 28, BBC Mundo Ciencia, headlines: “The chemical that puts in danger the ozone layer ”. Against all odds, he says: “The recovery of the ozone layer could take several decades longer than expected if the growing emissions of dichloromethane, a chemical used as a paint thinner and to prepare chemical compounds for refrigerators and air conditioners, are not stopped. revealed new research. However, dichloromethane - also known as methylene chloride - was not included in the Protocol, because it has a short life (that is, it decomposes after about five months). However,it releases chlorine that can destroy ozone, if it reaches the ozone layer that is in the stratosphere ”. According to a study, published in the journal Nature Communications, levels of dichloromethane in the atmosphere increased by 8% per year between 2004 and 2014. Taking into account this new data, some scientists recalculated the closing times of the holes for 2065 -2095. In May of this year, a study led by Stephen Motzka, a chemical researcher at NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States, “reported that somewhere in Asia emissions of prohibited chemicals are being generated that deteriorate the ozone layer". “A few months later, the UK-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)said that these gases could come from polyurethane foam insulation for domestic use produced in China at a reduced price, although it is still being investigated.
As we said at the beginning, for the ozone layer to recover it is necessary that the Protocol be strictly observed. It is urgent to determine the origin of the anomaly and to get back on track in Montreal.
All of these climate-related issues would be easier to resolve if larger numbers of people were attentive. The good news is that this happened earlier this month, during the presentation of the Fifth IPCC Report, held in Incheon, South Korea, which warned about the dangers if global warming is not stopped.
This meeting had the merit of making headlines in numerous media around the world, only comparable to the announcement of the approval of the Paris Agreement in 2015. In the networks and on the websites, the number of people who entered to search increased significantly. information and opinion on the subject.
Undoubtedly, progress has been made on this issue, but we must continue fighting to capture the interest of the great majority.
Sources
The Telegraph. The hole in the ozone layer has shrunk thanks to the global ban on CFCs, NASA confirms. Retrieved from
BBC World. What is the state of the hole in the ozone layer and which countries in Latin America does it affect most? Recovered from
Wikipedia.com. Montreal Protocol. Recovered from
BBC World. Someone is cheating the mysterious increase in prohibited chemical emissions that damage the ozone layer. Recovered from
UPI.com. NOAA reports rising concentration of ozone-eating CFCs. Retrieved from
BBC World. The chemical that re-endangers the ozone layer. Recovered from
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