Climate & Environment
Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
The thinning of the protective ozone layer by man-made chemicals — the environmental crisis the world actually solved.
Definition
Stratospheric ozone depletion is the thinning of the ozone layer — which absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation — caused by ozone-depleting substances (ODS), principally CFCs, halons and related chemicals that release chlorine and bromine in the stratosphere. Its most dramatic expression is the Antarctic ozone hole. The Montreal Protocol (1987) phased out ODS with universal ratification; the ozone layer is recovering and is projected to return to 1980 levels around mid-century.
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