Ozone layer’s recovery on track, averting 0.5C global temperature increase: UN

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - The United Nations environment office in Kenya’s capital Nairobi said Monday that the ozone layer is on the path to repair, which will help avert a warming of the planet of 0.5C.

According to a statement from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), efforts to halt climate change are already being aided by the global phase-out of chemicals that damage the ozone layer. The UN said the ozone layer is expected to regenerate within the next 40 years.

Meg Seki, the executive secretary of UNEP’s Ozone Secretariat, said the fact that “ozone recovery is on track according to the latest quadrennial report is fantastic news. The impact the Montreal Protocol has had on climate change mitigation cannot be overstressed. Over the last 35 years, the Protocol has become a true champion for the environment.”

The Montreal Protocol phases out substances that degrade Earth's ozone layer. The 1989 agreement is one of the most influential worldwide environmental agreements. Thanks to global cooperation, the UN notes that now the ozone layer is recovering, bringing environmental and economic advantages.

The report has been compiled by a large international group of experts, including many from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), UNEP, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Union.