What Ever Happened to the Hole in the Ozone Layer?

A few weeks ago, my friend and I were using a aerosol spray can of air freshener when she jokingly asked me, "Aren't you an environmentalist? What ever happened to that hole in the ozone layer?" Although asked in jest, the question is important, and far too few people are asking it.

We grew up in a time when the hole in the ozone layer was of utmost ecological importance. I remember feeling horrified when elementary-school teachers explained the depletion of the ozone layer, describing that the people of the future would have to dress like mummies to hide from scorching UV rays. Today, concerns like global warming and water pollution overshadow the ozone panic that dominated the 1990s-- but the hole in the ozone layer is still there, and it is still a serious problem.

The "hole in the ozone layer"-- actually an area of significantly thinned ozone over Antarctica-- has grown in size steadily since it was first documented in the 1970s. In 1979, the hole had an area of 1.09 million square kilometers. By 1982, it had already jumped to 10.8 million square kilometers, and, by 1987, it had jumped to a horrifying 22.45 million square kilometers in area. It took just 8 years for the hole to grow to nearly 22 times its first-recorded size.

While many people interpreted concerns about the hole in the ozone layer as hyperbole and panic, there was good reason to be very, very worried. If it continued to grow at the rate recorded in the 1980s, we would have very little ozone layer left today. Fortunately, in 1987, 43 nations signed the Montreal Protocol, a list of agreed regulations to minimize the use ozone-depleting compounds in industry.

Since the signing of the Montreal Protocol, chroroflorocarbonates (CFCs), the chemicals primarily responsible for the hole in the ozone layer, have been phased out of almost all aerosol cans. However, they are still used in the production of styrofoam, freon, and other common chemicals and appliances, and these are continuing to deplete the ozone-- albeit at a significantly lower rate than before.

The Montreal Protocol did have a tremendous effect. Although it certainly didn't heal the hole in the ozone layer, it caused it to stabilize, and the hole hasn't been growing nearly as rapidly since the institution of the protocol. In 2010, the hole in the ozone layer was measured at 22 million square kilometers-- roughly the same size as in the late 1980s. However, it will take ongoing efforts to minimize CFC pollution to keep the hole from continuing to grow-- and even further efforts to enable the hole to heal itself.

The hole in the ozone layer was not an imagined problem, nor did it vanish entirely after international governments passed laws to minimize ozone depletion. It is still important for industries to minimize their use of ozone-depleting compounds, and for consumers to remain conscientious of the ongoing threat to our planet's ozone. We must remain wary and conscientious in order to keep our planet habitable, safe, and sustainable for ourselves and those who share our world.