Good news, on the environment, is scarce. For the first time, a group of English and American scientists succeeded in demonstrating that the hole in the ozone layer is showing signs of disappearing.
The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica is in the process of recomposing much faster than expected, according to a British-American study, published recently in the prestigious journal Science.
The researchers did not expect such a conclusion: the last fifteen years, the hole over the ozone layer has shrunk four million square kilometres, which represents half the size of America. How to explain this “healing” of the ozone layer, in the words of American scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who led the study? “It would be largely due to the efforts of countries worldwide to stop using some pollutants gases, chlorine gases,” Susan Solomon told. “This is really a significant accomplishment for society. It is a global environmental dilemma, and we have put ourselves on a good trajectory,” Solomon added.
A significant accomplishment for society” – Solomon
These gases were, for example, in air conditioners, refrigerators, or aerosols. Mainly responsible for the weakening of the ozone layer, they have been progressively banned after the signing of an agreement by all countries in the world in 1987 known as the Montreal Protocol. And because they are less present in the atmosphere, the hole over the Antarctic is absorbed faster.
Scientists are quite optimistic for the future: according to their models at the current rate, the ozone layer will be completely reconstituted by 2050.
