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The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet.
This year, we celebrate 35 years of global ozone layer protection. This stratospheric layer shields Earth from most of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation.
So, when scientists working in the late 1970s discovered that humanity was creating a hole in this protective shield, they raised the alarm.
a) The hole caused by ozone-depleting gases (ODSs) used in aerosols and cooling, such as refrigerators and air-conditioners, was threatening to increase cases of skin cancer and cataracts, and damage plants, crops, and ecosystems.
b) A number of commonly used chemicals have been found to be extremely damaging to the ozone layer. Halocarbons are chemicals in which one or more carbon atoms are linked to one or more halogen atoms (fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine). The man-made chemicals that have provided most of the chlorine and bromine for ozone depletion are methyl bromide, methyl chloroform, carbon tetrachloride and families of chemicals known as halons, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).
World Ozone Day, held on September 16, celebrates this achievement of slowing down of the ozone layer depletion. It shows that collective decisions and action, guided by science, are the only way to solve major global crises. In this year of the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought such social and economic hardship, the ozone treaties’ message of working together in harmony and for the collective good is more important than ever. The slogan of the day, ‘Ozone for life’,
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Sep 16, 2020
