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United Nations Says Earth's Ozone Layer Is Repairing (bbc.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: The ozone layer, which protects us from ultraviolet light, looks to be successfully healing after gaping holes were discovered in the 1980s. The Northern Hemisphere could be fully fixed by the 2030s and Antarctica by the 2060s. A new United Nations report says it's an example of what global agreements can achieve. The ozone layer had been damaged by man-made chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) effectively began eating away at the ozone. CFCs were found in things like spray cans, fridges, foam insulation and air conditioners. As a result, in 1985 a gaping hole in the ozone over the South Pole was discovered. An international agreement called the Montreal Protocol made sure that businesses came up with replacements for these damaging products. 180 countries signed up to it. In signing the protocol, those countries agreed to phase out chemicals like CFCs.

15 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Re:UN also says that the ozone layer ... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Or do we go back to CFCs, knowing that those actually cool the earth (which is what we want)

    ...are you insane? CFCs are among some of the most potent greenhouse gases. If anything, the Montreal Protocol is credited with contributing to slowing the warming trend in the 1990s and throwing off some of the predictions of late 1980s.

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  2. Obligatory Naked Gun 2½ by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 3, Funny

    I guess love is like the ozone layer.
    You never miss it until it's gone.

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    #DeleteFacebook
  3. If Trump did his thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If Trump did his thing and pulled out of the UN agreement on CFCs...... it would make zero difference.

    Because no manufacturer would use CFC, the consumer backlash in the US would stop the product selling and they wouldn't be able to sell that product in the rest of the world. So they wouldn't make it and even try. Trump's word would not have any effect.

    When he pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord, it had no effect on the US's efforts to cut its greenhouse gas emission. The efforts on solar and electric continued anyway. He failed to get his coal subsidy, and even if he attempts to drop mercury emission standards. Any coal fired power station would simply be sued for emitting mercury into the atmosphere.

    These agreements, they are aspirational. They set a goal which is followed because it has mass agreement to be followed.

    1. Re:If Trump did his thing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not true.

      It's not the country that still uses CFC that profited from this agreement. Ignoring this agreement doesn't result in a net profit, because none of the CFC tainted products can be sold abroad. It's the country that came up with the replacement for CFCs that profited.

      You set a goal, e.g. cut CO2 using solar and wind. The country that has the most money available to research that, solves the problem of Solar and wind and so on, and takes the prize by being ahead of the curve.

      You cannot rescue coal, because nobody wants to breath mercury.

    2. Re:If Trump did his thing by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I could be wrong, but it sure seems like you know absolutely shit about climate change and the Paris accord. From where I sit it looks like a do-nothing agreement (less than 0.05C impact over 100 years) that would have cost trillions of dollars for what, exactly? How does paying money to the developing world help the climate? Do you think all those 3rd world kings and rulers are going to use that money responsibly to combat climate change? I can think of any number of projects that would be a far more useful investment: solar farms, updating ourselves on nuclear fuel rod recycling like France does, improved/expanded fracking for natural gas, the list is innumerable. Why waste your money on Paris exactly? Please enlighten all of us why this is the best use of our money.

      How come the Paris Climate Accord can't be renegotiated when the planet is in danger from humans destroying it? Why can't we keep the earth saving parts while removing the "screw the American taxpayer" parts?

      Remember when Trump pulled us out of the Paris deal, Leftists started screaming for state's rights? They engaged in rhetoric and action that would make John Calhoun's heart swell with pride for its open defiance of federal policy. If that's not 4D chess, I dunno what is.

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    3. Re:If Trump did his thing by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 2, Informative

      At a news conference last week in Brussels, Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of U.N.'s Framework Convention on Climate Change, admitted that the goal of environmental activists is not to save the world from ecological calamity but to destroy capitalism.

      Capitalism is irreconcilable with a livable climate and as humans can't change the laws of nature "What changed for me was hearing the argument for the existence of a climate debt, which is the idea that in order to address the crisis . . . which was created by the wealthiest countries in the world and is being felt most acutely by some of the poorest countries in the world, there needs to be a process of redress.

      http://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/climate-change-scare-tool-to-destroy-capitalism/

      Core inequalities need to be tackled through redistribution of wealth and technology. And this was explained to me as a chance to heal the world; to heal some of the deepest and most lasting wounds left by colonialism. And I suddenly saw that though this crisis continues to be existentially terrifying, it could also be a catalyst for really inspiring change and social justice."

      https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2014/09/13/facing_climate_change_headon_means_changing_capitalism_naomi_klein.html

      (OTTMAR EDENHOFER, UN IPCC OFFICIAL): Basically it's a big mistake to discuss climate policy separately from the major themes of globalization. The climate summit in Cancun at the end of the month is not a climate conference, but one of the largest economic conferences since the Second World War... First of all, developed countries have basically expropriated the atmosphere of the world community. But one must say clearly that we redistribute de facto the world's wealth by climate policy. Obviously, the owners of coal and oil will not be enthusiastic about this. One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy anymore, with problems such as deforestation or the ozone hole.

      Christiana Figueres, leader of the U.N.'s Framework Convention on Climate Change: "This is probably the most difficult task we have ever given ourselves, which is to intentionally transform the economic development model, for the first time in human history."

      Former U.S. Senator Timothy Wirth (D-CO), then representing the Clinton-Gore administration as U.S undersecretary of state for global issues, addressing the same Rio Climate Summit audience, agreed: "We have got to ride the global warming issue. Even if the theory of global warming is wrong, we will be doing the right thing in terms of economic policy and environmental policy."

      Christine Stewart, former Canadian Environment Minister: "No matter if the science is all phoney, there are collateral environmental benefits.... climate change [provides] the greatest chance to bring about justice and equality in the world."

      Daphne Muller, green-progressive-liberal writer for Salon: "This moment requires we the people to rethink democracy as a global mechanism for enacting policy for and by the planet."

      Peter Berle, President of the National Audubon Society: "We reject the idea of private property."

      David Brower, a founder of the Sierra Club: "The goal now is a socialist, redistributionist society, which is nature's proper steward and society's only hope."

      Mikhail Gorbachev, communist and former leader of U.S.S.R.: "The emerging 'environmentalization' of our civilization and emerging 'environmentalization' of our civilization and the need for vigorous action in the interest of the entire global community will inevitably have multiple political consequences. Perhaps the most important of them will be a gradual change in the s

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    4. Re:If Trump did his thing by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 2

      By the way: even though the Paris accord was never ratified by the Senate (so we were never officially part of it anyway), the U.S. is still the only major country that has actually been reducing emissions.

    5. Re:If Trump did his thing by MrL0G1C · · Score: 2
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    6. Re:If Trump did his thing by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      At a news conference last week in Brussels, Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of U.N.'s Framework Convention on Climate Change, admitted that the goal of environmental activists is not to save the world from ecological calamity but to destroy capitalism.

      What an extraordinary claim. Let's see if it's true, starting with your own link because I've found that skeptics who posts links often debunk themselves. They quote her as saying:

      "This is probably the most difficult task we have ever given ourselves, which is to intentionally transform the economic development model for the first time in human history."

      And then go on to claim that because they think capitalism is the only successful development model she must mean to destroy it. In their world "transform" means "destroy" apparently. If you read a bit more of what she actually said it's actually very clear that she is talking about something else entirely:

      "This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally, within a defined period of time to change the economic development model that has been reigning for at least 150 years, since the industrial revolution. That will not happen overnight and it will not happen at a single conference on climate change, be it COP 15, 21, 40 - you choose the number. It just does not occur like that. It is a process, because of the depth of the transformation."

      The economic model of "industrialize as fast as possible, literally burn up all your resources and emit massive amounts of CO2". The world is already making this transition towards cleaner technologies. Capitalism is actually driving it, as flaws in the market that allowed costs to be externalized are fixed.

      Quick round-up of your other quotes:

      "Clinton-Gore administration"
      "green-progressive-liberal writer for Salon"
      "National Audubon Society"
      "a founder of the Sierra Club"
      "Mikhail Gorbachev, communist and former leader of U.S.S.R."
      "a climate justice campaigner coordinator"
      "atmospheric scientist"
      "Researcher"

      Ah, all powerful and influential people that definitely have the power to destroy capitalism. Citing Gorbachev as evidence of environmentalism being a "Leftist" conspiracy looks particularly desperate.

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    7. Re:If Trump did his thing by whyloginwhysubscribe · · Score: 2

      Fortunately, the authors of the agreement put the reasons behind the agreement into the document... (from Wikipedia, and the agreement)
      The aim of the agreement is described in its Article 2, "enhancing the implementation" of the UNFCCC through:
      (a) Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change;
      (b) Increasing the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development, in a manner that does not threaten food production;
      (c) Making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.

  4. Re:UN also says that the ozone layer ... by rtb61 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If the holes were discovered today, you all know exactly what would happen, corporate propaganda bullshit, it would impact corporate profits and action would be banned. Corporate for profit hospitals, sun screen manufacturers and the pharmaceuticals would cheer rises in skin cancer and demand no action be taken to protect profits. Making the US blowing up Yemen (blow up more, kill more, there are profits to be had, kill, kill, kill) for profit, sick fuckers, look like nothing compared to the millions that would die from cancer especially in the third world, oh yes indeedy.

    Nothing much will be done about climate change until the properties of the psychopathically rich and greedy, those underwaterfront properties start going underwater and then they will demand socialised property insurance where the poor have to pay into an underwater front property fund to pay for the lost underwater front mansions, psychopath is as psychopath does. When the scam gets howled down, then rapid change will occur to protect those properties and fuck everyone else, the poor have to pay for that protection and be thankful their employers do not kick them in the genitals each time they pick up a paypacket to remind them who physically dominates whom. If you are stupid enough to allow yourself to be kicked all of the time, then you fucking deserve it.

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  5. Re: UN also says that the ozone layer ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Let me break it down for you:
    1. The ozone layer is vital - without it, everyone gets skin cancer.
    2. CFCs destroy ozone, and also trap heat strongly. We really don't want them.
    3. The ozone hole has *not* held off global warming - it has merely helped reduce its impact on Antarctica specifically, by causing localised wind patterns that slowed the encroachment of warmer air & water surrounding the pole. While this was temporarily good for Antarctica, it wouldn't solve anything in the long term, and is certainly not worth the other costs of CFCs.

    Reality is rarely black & white, but is never contradictory. If it looks that way, you've probably misunderstood something.

  6. Re: UN also says that the ozone layer ... by riverat1 · · Score: 2

    The ozone layer does warm the stratosphere some since it it capturing UV energy up there and that has repercussions all the way down to the surface. But the effect is minor compared to the effects of CO2 and even CFCs which are hundreds or even thousands of times more powerful.

  7. CFCs easier to eliminate by aberglas · · Score: 2

    Indeed, and CFCs were also a lot easier to eliminate. They were far less fundamental than Carbon.

    Indeed, before the fairly recent availability of cost effective solar, it looked impossible. All the rivers have been dammed. Nuclear has been damned. The only one available was wind.

    But it looks like we will do it. Eliminate Carbon. If only because much of the world's population will be eliminated by the warming...

  8. Re:Contradictory Reports by hyades1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Did you even bother to read the article you linked to?

    It says this: "It comes after NASA satellites provided the first direct evidence the ozone hole had shrunk in January, a finding welcomed by Dr Jon Shanklin, one of the meteorologists who first discovered the ozone hole, as a 'definite good news story'.

    And this: "However, in a new paper published in the journal Nature, an international team of scientists report an unexpected finding of CFC-11, one of the major ozone-depleting chemicals.

    "The rate of this substance's decline in the atmosphere has slowed by approximately 50 per cent since 2012."

    So in other words, the ozone layer is still recovering, just like the story says, and CFC's continue to decline, though not as fast as projected. There is no "disparity", apparent or real.

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