International, Politics, Science, Society

Report: Ozone Layer Shows Signs Of Recovery

earth-screensaver_largeYes, we actually have some good news to report about the environment. The United Nations has issued a report with NASA photos showing that the giant hole in Earth’s ozone layer is shrinking. The ozone layer protects us from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays and was being destroyed by the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Over vehement objections from industry that curtailing CFCs would destroy the economy, new laws forced the use of substitutes and the result has been predictable and encouraging.


Industry fought to stop the ban on CFCs for decades even though scientists linked CFCs to the ozone depletion in the 1970s. In 1987, the world reached a phase out agreement as part of the Montreal Protocol. Industry and various politicians denounced the agreement as a disaster for the economy and jobs. Instead, it quickly forced the creation of alternatives, which are now in wide use.

Here is the result:

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It is not done however. It will take until 2050 for the ozone layer in the mid-latitudes to return to relatively healthy 1980s conditions. Around the Antarctic, where the ozone layer is the most damaged, it will take until 2075. However, humans actually made a sacrifice and produced a beneficial result for their planet. Now that is worth celebrating.

Source: Washington Post

142 thoughts on “Report: Ozone Layer Shows Signs Of Recovery”

  1. BREAKING NEWS THIS JUST IN

    August 2014 Is No Longer The Hottest On Record

    But it is much worse than it seems. None of those three stations actually have any temperature data during the 1951-1980 baseline period, so his since recanted claim is a complete fraud. How can he know what the anomaly is, if there was no temperature data during the baseline period? These are the three stations in the region which he has August 2014 temperature data for.

    There are all kinds of other things he did wrong, including filling in Africa and South America with fake warm data, when RSS showed them cold. Problems with Australia too, which RSS showed cold.

    In summary, the claim of record heat has since been disproven by his own data, and was based largely on fake, cold data at the poles – which he declared to be hot.

    http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/august-2014-is-no-longer-the-hottest-on-record/

  2. HOTTEST AUGUST ON RECORD HA HA HA HA HA
    Use to be that Climate Change was determined over 30 year trend then reduced to 15 year trend now it’s monthly. Pretty soon it will be daily but remember weather is not climate TOO FUNNY.

  3. Darren
    Being kind to the life support system we rely upon for our daily existence is preferable. As the lead article Mr. Turley put up suggests, man made damage CAN be fixed, given time and attention. The same can happen with excess carbon mankind is pumping into the atmosphere. We need to stop putting it out there, like we did with the HFC’s. It CAN be done.

    My one nagging question is: Why would anyone sell out mankind or their mother for that matter, over what is gained by making things worse for everyone and every living thing. Over half the bird population in North America will be non-existent by the Century’s end. Who gains by causing that (besides a big fat wallet)? But no matter the money thrown at extinction, once that process is rolling, the only way out is by nature’s lotto of survival!

    I’m one for leaving a cleaner planet for the next generation than the one I inherited… Campfire Rules 101.

  4. Joe Blow
    Katharine Hayhoe… Canadian scientist.
    You can follow her here:
    https://twitter.com/KHayhoe

    Her personal web site is here:
    http://katharinehayhoe.com/

    She was just voted the 2014 American Geophysical Union’s Climate Communication Prize, which is given annually to one honoree in recognition of “the communication of climate science.”

    She was also voted as TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People for her work as a climate scientist and communicator.

    1. Max-1 – after reading the emails of the paleoclimatologists, I would not believe anything any of them reported. If they were doctors, they would be ‘struck off.’

    1. Max-1 – if it comes from Michael Mann, I would not believe it. The man would not know the truth if it jump up and bit him in the nose.

  9. I was telling my wife yesterday of a simple gauge for determining what action to take with regard to climate change.

    Three Choices:

    a) Act according to Green principles
    b) Status Quo
    c) Pollute more.

    From the position that pollution does not matter:

    a — Neutral damage done since green policy used (only out money)
    b — Neutral
    c — Neutral less cost, (money costs in short term)

    That is the best outcome, if pollution does not matter, the outcome is 2 for neutral cost/damage but costly in terms of dollars

    Now look at from the position that pollution is damaging

    a — Green policy helps reverse or stop the damage
    b — status quo is damaging in itself to the climate change
    c — More pollution is much more damaging.

    Under this position, 2 are damaging one is beneficial.

    I conclude that in terms of the environment the damaging vs not damaging is that damaging only saves money but risks a 2/3 chance of further damage. As far as the environment is concerned there is no risk other than money by using green policies with an upside to doing so will be beneficial. The downside is environmental damage at worst and neutral at best.

    Another thing about money. Since almost all currencies are fiats, the value of currency can change rapidly according to market conditions. Investments and values can be increased by other means such as diversification or vast other ways of mitigating costs.

    If the environment falls down to nothing, well nothing matters, especially money.

    1. Max-1, I cobbled it together, here is a reproduction:

      Michael E. Mann ‏@MichaelEMann

      Hottest August on record globally according to @NASAGISS. Pattern of warmth (1951-80 baseline)

    1. Max-1, I saw the comment in the moderation queue. It is having the problem like before with the three links being passed through from twitter.

  16. They are trying to get lots of terrorism going worldwide but it seems the ASOL idiots gave them more than they expected this soon! ‘they’ has a name: Illuminati, Kerry & Obama’s bosses. Both K & O look haunted recently like they might accidentally spill the beans that the US government had a lot more to do with unleashing this monster than anyone had thought. We know that destroying an up and coming independent nation like Lybia has a lot to do with the unstability in Saharan, Western & Central Africa. One of these days it will all come out of the bag. Perhaps there will be those who will follow up on the dirty deeds of Presidents & Secretaties of State & give them a proper execution in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

  18. Less than a year after announcing that he was never a skeptic, he announced that he was a converted skeptic.

    Sounds like other people we know. I was for the war before I was against it

    John Kerry

    1. Joe Blow – Kerry seems to be having the same problem now. Neither he or his boss can figure out if they are at war with ISIS/ISIL

  19. Annie Annie Annie Mueller was NEVER EVER a Skeptic

    “It is ironic if some people treat me as a traitor, since I was never a skeptic — only a scientific skeptic,” he said in a recent email exchange with The Huffington Post. “Some people called me a skeptic because in my best-seller ‘Physics for Future Presidents’ I had drawn attention to the numerous scientific errors in the movie ‘An Inconvenient Truth.’ But I never felt that pointing out mistakes qualified me to be called a climate skeptic.”

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/03/its-science-not-skepticis_n_1072419.html

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