"The ozone layer shields Earth's inhabitants from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation as it sits in the stratosphere 9-22 miles above Earth. Its depletion "increases the amount of UVB that reaches the Earth's surface" - and this can impact plants, marine ecosystems UVB causes non-melanoma skin cancer, per the EPA."
"Thanks to the protocol that was signed in 1987 and subsequently ratified by all United Nations member states, the ozone layer "remains on track to recover fully later this century," the NASA-NOAA report notes."
""Still, the now-banned chemicals persist in old products like building insulation and in landfills," the report notes. "As emissions from those legacy uses taper off over time, projections show the ozone hole over the Antarctic recovering around the late 2060s.""
The ozone layer in the stratosphere (9–22 miles above Earth) blocks harmful ultraviolet radiation; its depletion increases UVB reaching the surface, harming plants, marine ecosystems, and causing non-melanoma skin cancer. A global 1987 agreement to restrict ozone-depleting substances led to phasing out chlorofluorocarbons used in refrigerants and aerosol cans. Banned chemicals still persist in old products and landfills, producing legacy emissions that will decline over time. Climate variability, wildfires, large volcanic eruptions, and polar vortex strength affect ozone-hole size. Since around 2000, ozone-depleting substance levels in the Antarctic stratosphere have declined by about one third.
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