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International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
Below, distinguished guest author Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science Daniel A. Reifsnyder shares his thoughts about reasons to celebrate International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.
Celebrate International Ozone Day!
As summer winds down, we look forward to cooler temperatures and say goodbye to 95 percent humidity (we hope!) as well as the “air quality alert days” that sometimes accompany those sweltering temperatures. On an air quality alert day, ozone is often present in high levels. It’s formed when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, and other sources react chemically in the presence of sunlight. Ozone at ground level is a harmful air pollutant.
On September 16, however, we celebrate ozone – the ozone that’s located up high in the stratosphere and protects us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. September 16 is International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987.
The Protocol, signed by 196 countries, has been praised by Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General of the United Nations, as “perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date.” The parties to the Protocol have reduced over 98% of all global consumption of controlled ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and have put the ozone layer on track to recover to 1980-levels by later this century.
So why do we think it’s important to phase out ODS and protect our ozone layer? Without the protective layer of ozone in the stratosphere, too much UV radiation can cause skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the U.S. In fact, one American dies every hour from skin cancer. Other potential health effects from overexposure to UV radiation include cataracts, wrinkling of the skin, and immune system suppression.
Lest we get too comfortable and rest on the successes of the Protocol, we must remember that challenges remain. For example, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) were created as alternatives to ODS but are potent greenhouse gases. Without action, use of HFCs is expected to rise. As such, the governments of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico submitted a proposal to amend the Protocol to phase down consumption and production of HFCs. This proposal will be formally discussed at the 23rd Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in November.
In the meantime, remember to stay safe while having fun in the sun, even as summer comes to an end! And visit www.epa.gov/ozone/strathome.html for more info on ozone layer protection and sun safety.
Dan Reifsnyder became Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Environment in the Bureau of Oceans, Environment and
Science on August 20, 2006. He is responsible for a broad suite of
issues related to environmental protection and conservation,
including: transboundary air quality, protection of the
stratospheric ozone layer, international chemicals management, the
transboundary movement of hazardous wastes, persistent organic
pollutants, environmental aspects of free trade agreements,
international forestry conservation, biological diversity,
desertification, wildlife conservation and the protection of
wetlands and coral reefs. In these areas, he leads the U.S.
delegation under multiple bilateral and multilateral treaties and
agreements.