She's Healing

From when I was a kid, I was aware about the problems of the Earth. From water pollution, noise pollution, flooding, climate change and the one that was always in the headlines back then, the ozone layer depletion.

Ozone Layer

What on the literal Earth is this ozone layer? Ozone layer is a layer in the Earth's atmosphere, specifically in the stratosphere. In this layer, all the protective gasses could be found. Protective gasses? Yep, the ozone layer is the layer absorbing almost all the harmful radiations coming off from our own sun, like UV rays. Without the ozone layer, life on Earth would really not be that sustainable, we will all suffer excruciating deaths from our own Sun.

Ozone Depletion

The main problem with our ozone layer is its depletion. There are observable holes in this layer that are as large as the continents and that allows much UV rays to enter our atmosphere unfiltered. These are often referred to as ozone holes. And what causes these holes to exist? Well you guessed it right. It's our fault. Humans. Don't you think it's better to get rid of all humans to solve the world's problems? No, I don't like that either.

These holes are caused by the chlorofluorocarbons or CFC's we spray out in the atmosphere. CFC molecules are composed of carbon, fluorine and chlorine. CFC's aren't that harmful to us humans directly but when they are in the air and reached the atmosphere, they are harmful to the ozone layer. They are preventing the natural regeneration of the oxygen molecules in this layer.

CFCs are chemicals that are mostly used in refrigerants, aerosol sprays and other plastic materials.

Just like an aged man going into his later years, these holes could be thought of balding spots on one's hair, but on a much larger and universally accepted realm.

Prevention

With this global problem and issue, no one can really save our asses but ourselves. Steps were also taken to somehow help the Earth in preventing these holes to grow even bigger and to help the Earth's ozone layer to recover.

The world came together in an agreement to lessen if not totally ban the use of CFCs in everyday products. I am just glad that we were able to recognize that this is a real threat, pretty much as real as GLOBAL WARMING, okay, and we were able to agree that something has to be done.

Scientists as of late were able to verify that the efforts started from back then are bearing fruit today. The large holes in our stratosphere are now starting to get smaller in an acceptable rate. Scientists are expecting the Earth's atmosphere full recovery by the start of 2040, that is of course given that we hadn't bombed the Earth out of existence yet.

Epilogue

It is really nice to read or hear good news from time to time. And this one is really a huge piece of good news. Even though the change is small and the pace is not that drastic this is a good news with cataclysmic impact to all of our lives and the future's lives as well. It's just sad that there are still people treating climate change and global warming as fake news. I mean, people, look around, observe, and feel the change.

I just wish that we could all agree to this and put all our hands together in an attempt to save our dying Earth. It may not be tomorrow, or the year after next, but the Earth's demise is pretty much around the corner and it is in our hands to murder it or to save it from its dark fate.

Aloha!

Isn't that one great news? At least, even though we're still in a worldwide calamity like this pandemic, the Earth is showing a bit of a recovery. Or maybe this recovery is brought to us by the locked downs we implemented? WHAAAT?! Okay nope, this findings by the scientists were recorded since 2016, so we're really on top of the fight against ozone depletion.

Anyway, thank you so much for visiting this humble page and taking time reading this random bit of information, I appreciate everything and as usual, let me offer you a toast, here's to you my friend ...

Cheers!!!

References :

Rafferty, John P., n.d., Is the Ozone Layer Finally Healing Itself?, Britannica, accessed 29 July, 2021, <https://www.britannica.com/story/is-the-ozone-layer-finally-healing-itself>

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ozone-layer/

Img 1 : https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/atmosphere/ozone-layer