联合国:臭氧层将于2048年恢复原状

联合国:臭氧层将于2048年恢复原状

Ozonelayer“isnolongerdisappearingandwillreturntofullstrengthby2048”,saysUNreport.

Theozonelayerisnolongerdisappearingandcouldbebacktofullstrengthbythemiddleofthiscentury,UNscientistshaveconfirmed.

Thephasingoutofnearly100substancesonceusedinproductslikerefrigeratorsandaerosolshasstoppedtheozonelayerbeingdepletedfurther,althoughitisnotyetincreasing,accordingtoanewUnitedNationsreportreleasedlastweek.

Anditclaimedthatinternationaleffortstoprotecttheozonelayerhasavertedmillionsofcasesofskincancerworldwide.

Theozonelayeroutsidethepolarregionsisprojectedtorecovertopre-1980levelsby2048,althoughtheannualspringtimeozoneholeovertheAntarcticisnotexpectedtorecoveruntil2073.

OzoneinthestratosphereisimportantbecauseitabsorbssomeoftheSun’sdangerousultravioletradiation.

Thereport,publishedjointlybyUNEPandtheUNWorldMeteorologicalOrganization(WMO)isthefirstcomprehensiveupdateinfouryearsontheViennaConventionfortheProtectionoftheOzoneLayerandtheMontrealProtocolphasingoutchemicalswhichacceleratebothozonelayerdamageandclimatechange.

“It(theProtocol)hasprotectedthestratosphericozonelayerfrommuchhigherlevelsofdepletionbyphasingoutproductionandconsumptionofozonedepletingsubstances,”saidthereport.

Thereportwaswrittenandreviewedby300scientistsandlaunchedontheUNInternationalDayforthePreservationoftheOzoneLayer.

Giventhatmanysubstancesthatdepletetheozonelayerarealsopotentgreenhousegases,theMontrealProtocol“providedsubstantialco-benefitsbyreducingclimatechange,”itadded.

In2010,reductionsofozone-depletingsubstancesasaresultoftheProtocol,werefivetimeslargerthanthosetargetedbytheKyotoProtocol,thegreenhouseemissionsreductiontreaty.

“WithouttheMontrealProtocolanditsassociatedViennaConventionatmosphericlevelsofozone-depletingsubstancescouldhaveincreasedtenfoldby2050,”Mr.Steinersaid.

“Thisinturncouldhaveledtoupto20millionmorecasesofskincancerand130millionmorecasesofeyecataracts,nottospeakofdamagetohumanimmunesystems,wildlifeandagriculture.”

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