A latest scientific study has shown that the ozone layer has improved since the previous assessment carried out in 2014.
The report of the study Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2018, carried out by the World Meteorological Organisation, United Nations Environment Programme, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the European Commission, was released on Monday.
The study monitors the recovery of ozone in the stratosphere, a layer that prevents ultraviolet rays passing through the atmosphere to the earth’s surface, every four years.
According to the executive summary of the report, “Actions taken under the Montreal Protocol have led to decreases in the atmospheric abundance of controlled ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) and the start of the recovery of stratospheric ozone”.
According to the findings of the study, ozone in parts of the stratosphere has recovered at a rate of 1-3 percent since 2000.
At projected rates, Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone is scheduled to heal completely by the 2030’s, followed by the Southern Hemisphere in the 2050’s and Polar Regions by 2060, the report said.
However, it pointed out that continued success of the Montreal Protocol in protecting stratospheric ozone depends on continued compliance with the Protocol.
The study also found out that if the Kigali Amendment is fully implemented, the world can avoid up to 0.4 percent of global warming this century.
“The Kigali Amendment, assuming global compliance, is projected to reduce future radiative forcing due to Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by about 50 percent in 2050,” the report added.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), releasing a special report in the early October, highlighted that limiting global warming to 1.5ºC would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.
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