Why is this great news?
deviation – According to a report published on Monday, January 9 by the United Nations, the ozone layer can be reduced within forty years.
This sounds like great news. in Report released Monday, January 9, Commissioned by experts United Nations indicate that “The ozone layer should return to 1980 values (before the hole appeared) by 2066 over Antarctica, 2045 over the Arctic and 2040 in the rest of the world.It is clear that the ozone layer – which filters the ultraviolet rays of the sun and thus protects the Earth and the life there – should be replenished within forty years. Globally, the ozone layer is already recovering very slowly.»And explain to FigaroSophie Godin-Beckmann, director of research at the CNRS, chair of the International Ozone Commission and co-author of this report.
In the report, the experts also point out that “The phase-out of nearly 99% of banned ozone-destroying substances has helped preserve the ozone layer and contributed significantly to its recovery“.those”Prohibited items», These are chlorofluorocarbons, gases that were massively emitted from refrigerators between 1950 and 1990. They are located at an altitude of 20 to 40 kilometers. In the face of its harmful effect on the ozone layer, the Montreal Protocol is It was ratified in 1987 by 195 countries. This protocol and its various modificationsLed to a ban on CFC production»And He remembers Pierre Seon Laplace Institute for Climate Research (IPSL). Thus these gases, which are no longer produced today, continue to disappear from the atmosphere, allowing the ozone layer to recover.
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And this positive development included Sophie Godin-Beckmann “Do not be surprised»And It has real positive consequences for the planet and everything that lives on it.
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Millions of fewer crabs
Therefore, the ozone layer acts as a shield against some of the harmful UV rays. UV rays that can cause skin cancer in humans. In May 2020, A.J Published report by the US Environmental Protection Agency (Epa) specifically noting that “Full implementation of the Montreal Protocol is expected to avert 443 million cases of skin cancer [et] 2.3 million deaths are due to skin cancerIn the United States alone, among people born between 1890 and 2100.
“UV rays can also damage the eyes»And adds Cathy Clairbeau, director of research at the National Center for Scientific Research that monitors concentrations of gases in the atmosphere. With good reason, UV rays can cause cataracts, an eye problem responsible for vision loss. According to the same EPA report,63 million cases of cataractsSimilarly in the United States among people born between 1890 and 2100.
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This also applies to animals and plants. On the one hand for animals, where “The same mechanisms apply as in humans“, UV “Attacking the DNA of living organisms». On the other hand for plants. If there is too much UV radiation, the plants will not survive»And Sophie Godin-Beckmann completes. Concretely, an excess of ultraviolet radiation can burn vegetation and thus destroy it. “This also had an effect on the plants’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide. [principal gaz à effet de serre responsable du changement climatique, NDLR]Sophie Godin-Beckmann adds.
Study published in a leading scientific journal nature It is estimated in 2021 that “Without the Montreal Protocol, 325 to 690 billion tons of carbon would have been lost in plants and soils by the end of this century.“. It would have led to an additional rise in the Earth’s surface temperature from 0.5 to 1 degree»And continuous nature.
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Some concerns remain
In 2016, the Montreal Protocol was amended by the Kigali Agreement. This provides for the phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are powerful greenhouse gases. It is a refrigerant used as an alternative to CFCs. It has no direct effect on the ozone layer, but it has a greater gaseous effect than carbon dioxide. “Here the Montreal Protocol has been used for a purpose it was not originally intended for»And Decipherers Sophie Godin Beckmann. “This modification made it possible to remove greenhouse gasesCathy Clairbaugh adds. And thus have a positive effect on global warming.
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Is the ozone layer no longer afraid of anything? “There is no reason why it should not be reabsorbed as it should»And He wants to believe Cathy Clairbaugh. There is no need to fulfill the obligations of 195 countries. In 2019, the US Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) filed an investigative report indicating that 19 Chinese factories continued to illegally produce CFC-11 – a chlorofluorocarbon -. “Obviously, the Chinese government did what it took to stop this.»And However refer to Sophie Godin-Beckmann.
Another question mark raised by the report published on Monday, the potential projects of Geological engineering They aim to reduce global warming, but can have harmful effects on the ozone layer. This would consist of deliberately adding particles to the stratosphere to reflect part of the sun’s rays. “This project is worrisome in practice, but for now it’s not really a cause for concern»And Cathy finally reassures Clearbox about it.
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