Chemical Measures for Ozone Layer Protection: A Review from Theory to Practice

Abstract

The depletion of the ozone layer is a major environmental problem with wide-ranging and far-reaching consequences for life on Earth. Chemical means have become an important method of protecting the ozone layer. The ozone layer is an important part of the Earth’s atmosphere, absorbing most of the harmful ultraviolet radiation and serving to protect life on Earth. However, since the end of the 20th century, there has been a significant depletion of the ozone layer, especially in the polar regions, due to the emission of ozone depleting substances (ODS) such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halocarbons from human activities. These substances were once widely used in refrigeration, air-conditioning and industrial processes, leading to a thinning of the ozone layer, which in turn increased the intensity of ultraviolet (UV) radiation at the surface, posing a serious threat to human health, ecosystems and biodiversity, such as an increase in the incidence of skin cancers and cataracts, as well as damage to marine life and agriculture. Since the 1970s, scientific studies have revealed the damaging effects of CFCs on the ozone layer. In response to this threat, the international community has actively worked to control and phase out ozone-depleting substances, of which the Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, has achieved remarkable results in reducing the production and use of CFCs and other substances.