September 16th every year is celebrated as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The United Nations declared this in 1994 to preserve the ozone layer and explain its importance. The ozone layer protects the earth from the dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the sun. On the eve of Ozone Day 2021, here are some facts about the ozone layer and how it protects the humans.
The sun ensures light for the earth and it is the ozone layer that protects the earth from the ultraviolet rays. Scientists discovered a hole in the ozone layer in 1970s which is caused by gases. These gases are found in refrigerators and air conditioners. After this, all the countries signed the Vienna Convention to protect the ozone layer in the year 1985. Tha rapid population along with the activities of industrialization brought vast changes for the climate of the earth. Floods, forest fires, lightning storms, erratic weather patterns, earthquakes and tsunamis are a result of this. The Montreal Protocol that is signed by the Vienna Convention seems to be working.
The ozone layer is expected to return back like in the 1980s by the mid of this century. The major gases that are responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer are Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs). They are methyl bromide, methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride along with other greenhouse gases. A recent study from the University of Lancaster has been published in the journal Nature which said that the situation would have been quite bad if the ozone layer is destroyed. The earth would have scorched and the temperature rise was expected to increase by 1 degree by the end of this century.
If the ozone layer is depleted, there is no chance of life on earth. Plants cannot produce carbon dioxide without ozone layer. If the Montreal Protocol was not implemented, the ozone layer would have disappeared by 2040 making the earth useless for life. The experts urge people not to use gases that can deplete the ozone layer. The products that emit these gases also should never be used. Please take a special care of the appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators. Also, prefer using public transport to cut down the pollution.
