Ozone Layer
Humans were emitting large amounts of gases that depleted the ozone layer. But in the 1980s the world came together to tackle the problem. Emissions have fallen by more than 99%.
The ozone layer plays a vital role in making the planet habitable for us and other species. High in the atmosphere – between 10 to 50 kilometers above the earth's surface – the ozone layer absorbs most of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
But, during the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, humans were emitting large quantities of substances that depleted the ozone layer. This led to the creation of ozone holes at the earth’s poles, exposing life to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation and increasing the risks of skin cancer in humans.
During the 1980s, the world came together to form an international agreement to reduce – and eventually eliminate – emissions of these depleting substances. The political agreements were very effective. Since then, global emissions have fallen by more than 99%.
The ozone holes have stopped growing and are now starting to close.
This page includes all of our data, visualizations, and writing on the ozone layer, its depletion, and its path to recovery.
Endnotes
Ross J. Salawitch (Lead Author), David W. Fahey, Michaela I. Hegglin, Laura A. McBride, Walter R. Tribett, Sarah J. Doherty, Twenty Questions and Answers About the Ozone Layer: 2018 Update, Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 2018, 84 pp., World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2019.
Strahan, S. E., & Douglass, A. R. (2018). Decline in Antarctic ozone depletion and lower stratospheric chlorine determined from Aura Microwave Limb Sounder observations. Geophysical Research Letters, 45(1), 382-390.
Hegglin, M. I. et al. (2015). Twenty Questions and Answers about the Ozone Layer 2014 Update: Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2014. World Meteorological Organisation.
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Hannah Ritchie, Lucas Rodés-Guirao and Max Roser (2023) - “Ozone Layer” Published online at OurWorldinData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/ozone-layer' [Online Resource]
BibTeX citation
@article{owid-ozone-layer,
author = {Hannah Ritchie and Lucas Rodés-Guirao and Max Roser},
title = {Ozone Layer},
journal = {Our World in Data},
year = {2023},
note = {https://ourworldindata.org/ozone-layer}
}
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