Did you know that the hole in the ozone layer can affect what happens in our future?

The Ozone layer is a part of the stratosphere that absorbs most of the sun's radiation. At ground level, the ozone gases can be harmful to life but in a higher level, it protects and absorbs the majority of ultraviolet sunlight which is very powerful source of radiant energy from the sun. Our ozone layer is like a natural sunscreen for us, if we were exposed to the sun and there was no ozone layer surrounding the Earth our skin would burn almost immediately.

A hole had been discovered in the ozone layer around the time of 1980's by scientists and it had been and still is being discussed by politicians for years now. This is also known to be titled as the ozone depletion. The ozone layer which use to be thick, has slowly become thinner every year and scientists have gathered proof that our human-made chemicals are the cause of the damage in the ozone.

Most people are trying to find as many possible ways to repair the damage that's already been done by us. We can start first by informing others about the damage we have created to our ozone and what we can do about it. Refrigerants containing CFC damages the ozone layer. CFC is a combination of carbon, hydrogen, chlorine and fluorine which are usually gases that come from refrigerants and aerosols. When the sunlight waves hit the CFC gases in the higher atmosphere, a bond between carbon and chlorine breaks. When chlorine gas from substances such as aerosols reacts with an ozone molecule it breaks it apart and creates or makes the hole larger in the ozone.

As part of trying to prevent this from maintaining it's damage to the ozone we should also start recycling fridges instead of simply throwing them away. Another reason which is causing our ozone to take damage is global warming and climate change. When our cars, trucks and buses release fossil fuel gases which is found in heavy vehicle traffic interacts with sunlight, it forms a low-level ozone. Low-level ozone can also result to widespread respiratory problems, facilitating their infections and worsening asthma. Damage to the ozone can also reduce the growth of plants and their hydration. By us starting now to prevent damage, it could also prevent future environmental disasters which may already be happening now.

I have used information from the book: Closer look at the Ozone Hole by Alex Edmonds