International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

Today, the entire global community observes the United Nations' International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. Celebrated on September 16 every year, the event commemorates the date of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987.

Since time began, the ozone layer has protected life on earth from the harmful effects of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Ozone is a form of oxygen that is present in small but vital amounts in the stratosphere. Over the past decades, however, mankind’s indiscriminate activities have led to the deterioration of the ozone. It was in 1985 when scientists first came out with the shocking news about this ominous hole over the Antarctic. Realizing the disastrous effects the ozone’s depletion can have on the environment and, consequently, on mankind, the nations of the world banded together to search for solutions. Thus, in 1987, the Montreal Protocol was born.

The treaty was designed to protect the ozone layer by gradually phasing out over a given period of time, the production of a number of substances; particularly chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) compounds, believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. Due to its widespread adoption and implementation, the Montreal Protocol has been hailed as the most successful international environmental agreement. The treaty has led to global reductions in the CFC’s and atmospheric concentrations of the most significant compounds have been declining. NASA’s latest report indicates that the hole has shrunk to 9.7 million square miles, a 16 percent decrease from 2006’s record high of 11.5 million square miles. Although this is a significant development, the hole is still the size of North America; still large enough to have a disastrous effect on life on earth.

The theme for this year’s commemoration is entitled “Montreal Protocol — Global Partnership for Global Benefits”. We are living in a global community and as such, will forever be inextricably linked. Indeed, the actions of a nation and its people will surely have effects on other nations. The convergence of many nations to battle a threat has proven to be the foundation for the success of the Montreal Protocol. Although the ozone’s hole is still there, the gains achieved by the treaty will surely serve as a guide for making new agreements that can hopefully put an end to the greatest threat to mankind’s existence. Cooperation and partnership among all the nations of the world is the key.