The ozone layer is on track to recover completely within 40 years. Paul Newman, chief scientist for Earth Science at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center explains how it happened. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were a common industrial gas used in air conditioners and refrigerators. The CFCs continued to accumulate in the atmosphere until they attacked the ozone layer.
A UN report has found the Earth’s ozone layer is on course to be healed within the next 40 years. What was once humanity’s most feared environmental peril is now an example of how the world can take collective action. Madeleine Finlay speaks to atmospheric scientist Paul Newman about this momentous achievement and whether it really is the end of the story. Help support our independent journalism at
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