GOOD NEWS

Ozone Layer Is Recovering Again After China Bans Pollutants

The larger holes, in the Arctic and Antarctic, are now estimated to recover by 2045 and 2066, respectively.

China’s crackdown on specific ozone-depleting pollutants has put the restoration of the UV-protecting layer back on track, a United Nations study found. The Earth’s ozone layer has developed significant holes since the 1980s, largely due to harmful chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons, like CFC-11, which was recently found to be in growing use in refrigerants and insulating foams in China. But China enforced a national phase out in 2018, which scientists say put much of the globe back on track to reach pre-1980 levels by 2040. The larger holes, in the Arctic and Antarctic, are estimated to recover by 2045 and 2066, respectively. “Ozone action sets a precedent for climate action,” said World Meteorological Organization Secretary General Petteri Taalas in a statement. “Our success in phasing out ozone-eating chemicals shows us what can and must be done — as a matter of urgency — to transition away from fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases and so limit temperature increase.”