Formed from three Oxygen atoms, the invisible ozone layer protects all livings things on earth from harmful ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun. Owing to the recent sudden increase in global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer is indeed an evolving threat for life on earth.
After analysing the ozone layer between 2000 and 2015, Professor Solomon and his other fellows consequently reported that they had found at least 4 million square feet of reduction in the Ozone depleted layer during a 10-year period. From recent statistics, it is evident that the rate of deterioration will increase manifold, unless radical changes aren’t made. However, while many despise the current pandemic condition which has forced them to live in isolation, I believe that the harmful virus has been sent as a miracle. With the significant reduction in industrial and economic activities, scientists finally found some positive results which depicted that the ozone layer had the capacity to regenerate itself, it not harmed by toxic greenhouse gases. Just a couple of months ago, the United Nations World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) announced that the huge hole in the ozone, which was almost three times larger in the size than Greenland, showed considerable signs of recovery. However, several scientists linked to the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) disagree with such analysis claiming that “an unusually long-lived and strong polar vortex” led to the recovery of the ozone layer.
Thus, both at the state level and individually, we must continue to the protect the ozone layer. The government’s top priority should be limiting the production of CFCs, nitrous oxide, halogenated hydrocarbon and methyl bromide gas. Instead clean, green and sustainable systems should be set in place.
M Hussain Hunarmal
Balochistan
Published in The Express Tribune, Septe0mber 21st, 2020.
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