Track the recovery of the ozone layer with updated data

The ozone layer plays a vital role in making the planet habitable for us and other species by absorbing most of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.

But, during the 1970s–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.

I recently updated our charts with the latest data from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Ozone Watch, which tracks the size of the Antarctic ozone hole and the concentration of ozone in the stratosphere.