China’s crackdown on specific ozone-depleting pollutants has put the restoration of the UV-protecting layer back on track, a United Nations study found. The Earth’s ozone layer has developed significant holes since the 1980s, largely due to harmful chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons, like CFC-11, which was recently found to be in growing use in refrigerants and insulating foams in China. But China enforced a national phase out in 2018, which scientists say put much of the globe back on track to reach pre-1980 levels by 2040. The larger holes, in the Arctic and Antarctic, are estimated to recover by 2045 and 2066, respectively. “Ozone action sets a precedent for climate action,” said World Meteorological Organization Secretary General Petteri Taalas in a statement. “Our success in phasing out ozone-eating chemicals shows us what can and must be done — as a matter of urgency — to transition away from fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases and so limit temperature increase.”
