The Earth’s ozone layer is on its way to recovering, thanks to decades of work to get rid of ozone-damaging chemicals, a panel of international experts backed by the United Nations has found.

The ozone layer serves an important function for living things on Earth. This shield in the stratosphere protects humans and the environment from harmful levels of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.



Following alarm over the loss of ozone in the 1980s, the ozone layer has been steadily improving in the wake of the 1989 Montreal protocol, an international agreement that has helped eliminate 99% of ozone-depleting chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were used as solvents and refrigerants.

The UN said the action taken on the ozone layer had also bolstered the more ponderous response to the climate crisis.

In the latest report on the progress of the Montreal Protocol, the U.N.-backed panel confirmed that nearly 99% of banned ozone-depleting substances have been phased out.

If current policies stay in place, the ozone layer is expected to recover to 1980 values by 2040, the U.N. announced.

Source: NPR

[https://www.npr.org/2023/01/10/1147977166/ozone-layer-recovery-united-nations-report](https://www.npr.org/2023/01/10/1147977166/ozone-layer-recovery-united-nations-report)