Earth’s damaged ozone layer is slowly, slowly recovering and may return to 1980 levels. But it will take several decades and the positive trend can easily be broken. That’s what the UN weather agency WMO writes in a new report.
By 2040 at the earliest, the ozone layer may have recovered to 1980 levels, and over Antarctica it will take until 2066 at the earliest.
“The fight for the ozone layer is a precedent for all other fights for the climate. Our success in phasing out ozone-depleting chemicals shows what can and must be done to cope with an urgent transition away from fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow global temperature rise,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas in a statement.
The body comes out with a report on the ozone layer every four years, and this year’s study shows that the small gains from the 2018 report have stabilized and can be seen as permanent.
Among the chemicals that have decreased in the atmosphere, the report singles out chlorine and bromine, which have decreased by 11.5 and 14.5 percent, respectively, since the highest measured levels in the 1990s.
– This is a success story, says Caroline Leck, professor of chemical meteorology at Stockholm University.
In the player above: Watch Caroline Leck talk about the positive news.