In a report released Monday by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization, researchers found a significant increase in the ozone layer. The ozone layer is the region of the atmosphere 15 to 35 kilometers above the earth’s surface that absorbs harmful ultraviolet light, preventing it from reaching the surface. The ozone layer has been vulnerable for decades because chemicals used as refrigerants and propellants destroy it. When these persistent chemicals meet and react with the cold air and weather conditions over Antarctica, an ozone hole forms over the region every spring, varying in size and depth from year to year. The report confirms that phasing out nearly 99 percent of banned ozone-depleting substances has successfully protected the ozone layer, resulting in a significant recovery of the upper stratosphere and reducing human exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. If current policies remain unchanged, the ozone layer over the Antarctic, the Arctic, and the rest of the world is expected to return to 1980 levels (before the ozone hole appeared) around 2066, 2045, and 2040, respectively.
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