To someone who thinks the story from the '90s about the big hole in the ozone layer that was "going to kill us" might itself have some holes in it and wants to know what happened to the supposed danger, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe has one thing to say: "We fixed it because people listened to scientists."
In a video for The Cool Down, Dr. Hayhoe, a renowned climate scientist, addresses a social media user's question and accusation that she is "just a climate grifter like the rest of them." In it, she explains to her critic why we don't hear much about the hole in the ozone layer these days.
"Within just a few years of scientists identifying the causes of the ozone hole — which were human-made chemicals that we were using in like our spray-cans and our air conditioners — within a few years, all the governments in the world got together, [and] signed the Montreal Protocol, banning the production and use of those substances," she said.
The substances in question — known as ozone-depleting substances (ODS) — were chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, halons, methyl bromide, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform. Had we done nothing, the ozone depletion would have continued, causing major harm to every living thing on Earth.
However, Dr. Hayhoe says, "Thanks to that swift action, listening to scientists, and responding to our warning, the ozone hole is finally on its way to recovery."
More specifically, as a result of this swift action and changes made in the Montreal Protocol, atmospheric levels of the banned ODS have dropped by nearly 99%, and the two biggest holes in the ozone layer are expected to be healed by 2066.
Listening to scientists works, and Hayhoe and many others are now calling on governments and people around the world to pay attention to air pollution from greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane that are leading to increased temperatures worldwide. Many countries have taken that seriously while others have not, but the trend has headed in a stronger direction in recent years, with news like the G7 countries agreeing to shut down all "unabated" coal power plants by 2035. The United Kingdom is already turning its last off in September.
While we may not have the power of governments to make sweeping global change on an individual level, there are many things we can do that add up and make a difference. Dr. Hayhoe says some of the most impactful actions individuals can take are to start a conversation about why climate change matters and what people can do, join a climate action group, or change where you keep your money.
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