Every year, World Ozone Day is celebrated on 16th September to spread awareness about Ozone layer depletion and search for solutions to prevent it.
Without the sunlight, life on the Earth would not be possible. The energy releasing from the sun would be too much for life on Earth. The stratospheric layer shields the Earth from most of the harmful ultraviolet radiation coming from the Sun. Over 30 years ago, in May 1985, the first ozone hole was discovered over Antarctica. After that, NASA found out the whole of Antarctica was affected and a rise in temperature had begun.
The ozone layer, which is also called the Ozone shield is a delicate gas layer that presents in the stratosphere of Earth and absorbs most of the Sun’s ultraviolet rays. These UV rays can cause numerous skin diseases. The Ozone layer absorbs about 97-99% of UV rays and maintains the ozone-oxygen cycle.
What is the Ozone layer?
The Ozone layer is a piece of the atmosphere that has a high amount of ozone concentration. Ozone is a gas formed of three oxygen atoms, O3. The ozone layer can either harm or protect life on Earth, depending on where the layer is.
Most of the Ozone stays within the stratosphere and protects the surface of the Earth from the sun’s UV radiation as a shield. If this layer was to weaken then we all would be more susceptible to impaired immune systems, skin cancer, and cataracts.
World Ozone Day 2024: Theme
The World Ozone Day 2024 theme is “Montreal Protocol Keeping us, our food, and vaccines cool.”
This year’s International Day for the Prevention of the Ozone Layer seeks to highlight that the Montreal Protocol does so much more, like helping to boost energy efficiency in the cooling sector, and slowing climate change.
World Ozone Day: History
In the year 1994, on 19th September, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 16th September as the International Day for the Ozone layer preservation. On 16th September 1987, the UN and 45 countries signed the Montreal protocol, on Ozone layer depletion substances. The Montreal Protocol’s purpose is the protection of the Ozone layer by reducing the production of substances that are responsible for Ozone layer depletion.
