Is global warming related to the “ozone hole” problem?
Not really although choloroflorocarbons are a type of greenhouse gas. The experts are hopeful that this problem has been resolved because of swift global action to ban the particular culprit chemicals – choloroflorocarbons (CFC)s. Ozone, a form of oxygen gas, shields the earth and therefore human beings from some of the most dangerous ultraviolet light from the sun. A study from the United Nations Environment Programme in 1976 suggested that chlorofluorocarbons used in refrigerators and sprays (CFCs) were rising into to the atmosphere and producing a chemical reaction which was destroying this layer of protection. Measurements indicate that a large unprotected area was developing over Antarctica each spring, the so-called “ozone hole”. No similar break has occurred in the Arctic region. The Montreal Protocol of 1987, although technically calling for a full phasing out only by 2000, did lead to the end of large-scale use of CFCs, as manufacturers developed ozone-friendly alternatives. U
