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This NASA image shows the size of the ozone hole over Antarctica in purple and blue. It will take another 43 years before it closes completely.
Silvia ChuiSociety Editor
Finally there is – cautious – good news in the fight against the climate catastrophe: UN experts recently announced that the ozone layer is regenerating. If it recovers as forecast, all ozone holes will close by 2066. Future global warming can therefore decrease by 0.3 to 0.5 degrees. Reason: The air pollutants that contribute to ozone depletion are also greenhouse gases. Therefore, reducing their emissions also leads to less global warming.
Nevertheless: Currently, our earth has already warmed up by 1.2 degrees since the beginning of industrialization. With the political decisions we have made so far, we are heading towards around 2.7 degrees – if nothing is changed, we will miss the 1.5 degree target. With catastrophic consequences for large areas of the country. Sit back and continue happily CO2 we are therefore not allowed to eject.
A sign of hope – and that global cooperation is achievable
Nevertheless, the recovery of the ozone hole and the global reduction in emissions of pollutants also give a little hope: On the one hand, every tenth of a degree that the earth warms less helps. On the other hand, an international effort was made to ban the ozone-killing gas CFC used in refrigerators. According to Sonia Seneviratne from ETH Zurich, this is a good sign: “It shows that international coordination can work, which also means a drastic global reduction in CO2 would be critical for us to achieve stabilization of global warming.”