Cape Town - The United Nations (UN) estimates that the ozone layer, which is slowly recovering, will fully recover in 43 years, thanks to the global ban on dangerous substances that were eroding the Earth’s protective layer for years.
According to a quadrennial assessment report published every four years by the UN-backed Scientific Assessment Panel to the Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances, the slow progress of the ozone follows 35 years when countries around the world decided to stop producing ozone-depleting chemicals that were used in commonplace products such as aerosols, packaging, and refrigerators.
“The Montreal Protocol has thus succeeded in safeguarding the ozone layer, leading to notable recovery of the ozone layer in the upper stratosphere and decreasing human exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun,” the UN said.
It said if current policies remain in place, the ozone layer is expected to recover to 1980 values (before the appearance of the ozone hole) by around 2066 over the Antarctic, by 2045 over the Arctic, and by 2040 for the rest of the world.
“Variations in the size of the Antarctic ozone hole, particularly between 2019 and 2021, were driven largely by meteorological conditions. Nevertheless, the Antarctic ozone hole has been slowly improving in area and depth since the year 2000.”
Saliem Fakir, executive director at The African Climate Foundation based in Cape Town, said the Montreal Protocol, which governs global action on the ozone layer, is the most successful international multilateral agreement.
He said African nations can learn an enormous amount from it and draw on lessons from it for agreements such as climate change.
“The ozone layer is also critical for human and biological life as it absorbs sufficient radiation from the sun, making the ozone layer a protective blanket in the atmosphere. It is an incredible achievement, as most thought it cannot be done,” said Fakir.
He said the achievement of repairing the ozone layer shows how, if governments, businesses, and society co-operate by putting the planet’s interests above their own, we can achieve the impossible.
According to Dr Charles Takalana of the South African Astronomical Observatory, while there are policies in place to help combat climate change and South Africa is doing its part, much more needs to be done.
“We are playing our part, but we also need to look at this from the point of view of the continent, as most of us are developing nations, and we don’t have enough capacity to meet all these environmental requirements. Hence, the Third World countries need to support Africa so that it can fully contribute in the fight against climate change
He said the current climate change that we experience in the country, such as floods in KwaZulu-Natal and the current heat wave, is the result of global warming, which can also be attributed to the ozone layer. He said the recovery of the ozone layer will bring relief to the country’s climate and environment.