Media Release: Ozone Day – International Day of the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

For immediate release
16 September 2024

Ozone Day, or formally called the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, is celebrated annually on September 16. This day is commemorating the date (in 1987) of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The closure of the hole in the ozone layer was observed 30 years after the protocol was signed, but due to the nature of the gases responsible for ozone depletion their chemical effects are expected to continue for between 50 and 100 years.

The ozone layer is important as it protects earth from the harmful UV rays coming from the sun. It also helps to keep the temperature of the earth moderate by reflecting the harmful sun rays which makes the life of living organisms suitable on earth.

Climate change is linked to ozone depletion as many of the same gases that are causing ozone depletion are also contributing to climate change. These gases, such as the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are greenhouse gases, absorbing some of the infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface, thereby effectively heating the Earth’s surface.

Conversely, changes in the climate of the Earth could affect the behaviour of the ozone layer, because the ozone is influenced by changes in the meteorological conditions and by changes in the atmospheric composition that could result from climate change. Ozone loss can also impact climate change, as ozone depletion in the lower stratosphere can create a cooling effect on the earth.

“We can protect the ozone by banning ozone-depleting substances which will allow the ozone layer to slowly recover,” said Dr Nina Viljoen, Head of Environmental Management at Garden Route District Municipality. In addition, Viljoen emphasised that a healthy ozone layer protects millions of people from skin cancer and eye cataracts, safeguards ecosystems and slows down climate change – as many ozone-depleting substances ODSs are also potent greenhouse gases with high Global Warming Potential (GWP) that contribute to climate change.

Click here to read a related Facebook article.

ENDS