Ozone Layer Still Needs Help: European Parliament And Council Cooperate To Protect Stratosphere
The European Parliament and Council have reached a partial deal regarding measures seeking to cut down the atmospheric emission of substances which are damaging to the ozone layer.
“The prevention of emissions from ozone-depleting substances is key in preventing adverse health and environmental effects resulting from a damaged ozone layer – and contributing to greenhouse gas savings in line with the Union’s climate target” said Jessica Polfjärd, a Swedish MEP from the European People’s Party.
“I am happy that we could agree today, between the institutions, and support an ambitious and balanced proposal to continue making efforts to improve and restore the ozone layer.”
The ozone layer is the region within Earth’s lower stratosphere which absorbs the majority of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation. The layer is named after a molecule called ozone – O3 – which is present in “high” concentration, around 10 parts per million, between approximately 15 and 35 kilometres above the planet’s surface.
The ozone layer is responsible for filtering UV rays from the sun out before they reach inhabitants on the surface.
Despite its importance on ensuring that life on our planet remains comfortable and sustainable, human-made greenhouse gases known as ozone-depleting substances (ODS) have been carving holes in this layer – which can have devastating effects.
Though ODS may sound like a term for something uncommon, such substances can be found in everyday items, and include halons, which are used in fire extinguishers, methyl bromide, which is used for pest control, and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which is used in fridges and air conditioning systems.
Once fully agreed upon, the deal partially agreed by the European Parliament and Council will block the production, sale, use, importation and exportation of ODS.
Their use will not be entirely prohibited. Exemptions are foreseen for the use of ODS as feedstock, as process agents in laboratories and for fire protection in special applications – such as military equipment and airplanes. Priorities.
The new ODS EU framework will introduces recovery, recycling and reclamation requirements for those renovating buildings – as ODS are often found in insulation foams, and consist of the primary source of ODS emissions in the EU.
The EU has already achieved its phase-out goals under the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer – but in order to meat the 2030 and 2050 goals set out in the European Green Deal, ODS emissions need to be cut further.
On the individual level, there is not much we can do to protect the ozone layer – though there are things we can do to protect ourselves from holes in that layer.
What we can also do, collectively, is continue to pressure politicians to legislate aggressively and protect the ozone layer, alongside all of the natural world’s defence mechanisms – before we open our little slice of Goldilocks zone up to hellfire from which our charred skin won’t return.
Tag someone who should read this story
READ NEXT: Gozitans And Non-Maltese Citizens Much More Likely To Have Agricultural, Fishing Or Related Skills
