September 16, International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

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International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

The ozone layer is a fragile layer of gas that protects the Earth from the harmful effects of solar rays, thus contributing to preserving life on the planet. In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed September 16 as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date of the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer

This was one of the most successful environmental agreements, as it addressed one of the greatest threats that humanity had faced: the depletion of the ozone layer.

The main objective is the protection of the ozone layer through the adoption of measures to control the total worldwide production and consumption of substances that deplete it, with the ultimate goal of eliminating them, based on the progress of scientific knowledge and technological information.

The use of certain chemical products over the years had damaged the layer, endangering the existence of human beings and other living beings on the planet. A joint international effort enabled the elimination and reduction of the use of substances that depleted the ozone layer, helping not only to protect it for the current generation and future ones, but also to improve the results of initiatives aimed at addressing climate change. These efforts have also protected human health and ecosystems, reducing the sun’s ultraviolet radiation that reaches Earth.

This agreement demonstrated that multilateralism and effective global cooperation work. Now, the ozone layer is gradually recovering, allowing it to continue protecting humanity from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.

Scientific confirmation of the depletion of the ozone layer prompted the international community to establish a mechanism for cooperation to take measures to protect the ozone layer. This was formalized in the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, which was adopted and signed by 28 countries on March 22, 1985. In September 1987, this led to the drafting of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.