While the Montreal Protocol regulates the production of these substances and their trade in bulk, the Ozone Regulation prohibits their use in most cases (certain uses are still permitted in the EU). The current EU ‘Ozone Regulation’ ( Regulation (EC) 1005/2009) contains a number of measures to ensure a higher level of ambition.
Through a series of regulations, the EU has not only implemented the Montreal Protocol but has often phased out dangerous substances faster than required. Source: European Environment Agency EU regulationĮU legislation on ozone-depleting substances is among the strictest and most advanced in the world. UV rays also affect plant growth, reducing agricultural productivity.
Aquatic life just below the water’s surface, the basis of the food chain, is particularly adversely affected by high UV levels. UV radiation also affects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, altering growth, food chains and biochemical cycles.
Negative effects include increases in certain types of skin cancers, eye cataracts and immune deficiency disorders. Ozone layer depletion causes increased UV radiation levels at the Earth's surface, which is damaging to human health. The maximum size of the ozone hole is now decreasing.įor the status of the currently ongoing ozone hole, you can visit the Copernicus web site Effects of ozone depletion for humans and the environment The hole grew in the years following ratification of the Montreal Protocol, due to the lag caused by the fact that ozone-depleting substances remain in the stratosphere for a long time. Most of the ozone-depleting substances emitted by human activities remain in the stratosphere for decades, meaning that ozone layer recovery is a very slow, long process. Although ozone losses are less radical in the Northern Hemisphere, significant thinning of the ozone layer is also observed over the Arctic and even over continental Europe. In most years, the maximum area of the hole is bigger than the Antarctic continent itself. This severe depletion creates the so-called “ozone hole” that can be seen in images of Antarctic ozone, made using satellite observations. It occurs mainly in late winter and early spring (August-November) and peak depletion usually occurs in early October, when ozone is often completely destroyed in large areas.
Ozone depletion is greatest at the South Pole. These ozone-depleting substances were mostly introduced in the 1970s in a wide range of industrial and consumer applications, mainly refrigerators, air conditioners and fire extinguishers. However, these natural phenomena could not explain the levels of depletion observed and scientific evidence revealed that certain man-made chemicals were the cause. Scientists discovered in the 1970s that the ozone layer was being depleted.Ītmospheric concentrations of ozone vary naturally depending on temperature, weather, latitude and altitude, while substances ejected by natural events such as volcanic eruptions can also affect ozone levels. The ozone layer filters out most of the sun's harmful UV radiation and is therefore crucial to life on Earth. The ozone layer is a natural layer of gas in the upper atmosphere that protects humans and other living things from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun.Īlthough ozone is present in small concentrations throughout the atmosphere, most (around 90%) exists in the stratosphere, a layer 10 to 50 kilometres above the Earth’s surface.