What is an ozone hole and is it still an issue

 

The ozone hole still exists, forming over Antarctica in the spring every year. However, there is some evidence that it is starting to disappear. Scientists have assessed that the ozone layer will return to pre-1980 levels between 2040 (across much of the world) and 2066 (over Antarctica). The healing is slow because of the long lifespan (50-150 years) of ozone-depleting molecules. Nevertheless, the Montreal Protocol signed in 1987 by every country on Earth, was hugely successful in protecting the ozone layer and preventing up to two million cases of skin cancer a year.

The coronavirus pandemic and people’s behavioural changes led to “unintended declines in carbon emissions and other pollutants”. (O’Garra & Fouquet, 2022). In the United Kingdom at the height of the first lockdown, car travel has dropped by 78% and flights fell by 94%. As transport accounts for almost half of household emissions in the UK, the significant reduction of travel and CO2 emissions consequently can be attributed to the minimisation of the ozone hole.