Climate Change and Ozone Loss - Environmental Science - page 386

in 1990 and then in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1992
and adopted the Copenhagen Protocol, an amendment
that accelerated the phaseout of key ODCs.
The landmark international agreements, now
signed by 177 countries, are important examples of
global cooperation in response to a serious global envi-
ronmental problem. Without them, ozone depletion
would be a much more serious threat. If nations con-
tinue to follow these treaties, ozone levels should re-
turn to 1980 levels by 2050 and to 1950 levels by 2100.
The ozone protocols set an important precedent
by using prevention to solve a serious environmental
problem. Nations and companies agreed to work to-
gether to solve this global problem for three reasons.
First, there was convincing and dramatic scientific evi-
dence of a serious problem. Second, CFCs were pro-
duced by a small number of international companies.
Third, the certainty that CFC sales would decline over
a period of years unleashed the economic and creative

What Can You Do?

Reducing Exposure to UV Radiation

• Stay out of the sun, especially between 10 A.M. and 3 P. M .

• Do not use tanning parlors or sunlamps.

• When in the sun, wear protective clothing and sun-
glasses that protect against UV-A and UV-B radiation.

• Be aware that overcast skies do not protect you.

• Do not expose yourself to the sun if you are taking
antibiotics or birth control pills.

• Use a sunscreen with a protection factor of 15 or 30
anytime you are in the sun if you have light skin.

• Examine your skin and scalp at least once a month for
moles or warts that change in size, shape, or color or
sores that keep oozing, bleeding, and crusting over. If
you observe any of these signs, consult a doctor
immediately.

Ray Turner and His
Refrigerator

Figure 16-19 Individuals matter: ways to reduce your expo-
sure to harmful UV radiation. Critical thinking: which three of
these actions do you believe are the most important? Which
things in this list do you do or plan to do?

Ray Turner, an aerospace man-
ager at Hughes Aircraft in Califor-
nia, made an important low-tech,
ozone-saving discovery by using
his head—and his refrigerator.
His concern for the environment led him to look
for a cheap and simple substitute for the CFCs
used as cleaning agents to remove films of oxida-
tion from the electronic circuit boards manufac-
tured at his plant.
Turner began by looking in his refrigerator. He
decided to put drops of various substances on a
corroded penny to see whether any of them re-
moved the film of oxidation. Then he used his sol-
dering gun to see whether solder would stick to the
surface of the penny, indicating the film had been
cleaned off.
First he tried vinegar. No luck. Then Turner tried
some ground-up lemon peel. Another failure. Next
he tried a drop of lemon juice and watched as the
solder took hold. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, Hughes Aircraft uses inexpensive, CFC-
free, citrus-based solvents to clean circuit boards.
This new cleaning technique has reduced circuit
board defects by about 75% at the company. And
Turner got a hefty bonus. Now other companies,
such as AT&T, clean computer boards and chips
using acidic chemicals extracted from cantaloupes,
peaches, and plums. Maybe you can find a solution
to an environmental problem in your refrigerator,
grocery store, drugstore, or backyard.

INDIVIDUALS
MATTER

Figure 16-19 lists ways for you to protect yourself
from harmful UV radiation.

16-7 PROTECTING THE
OZONE LAYER

Political Solutions: Protecting
the Ozone Layer
To reduce ozone depletion, we must stop producing
all ozone-depleting chemicals.
Researchers studying ozone depletion agree that we
should immediately stop producing all ODCs. How-
ever, even if we take immediate action, models indi-
cate it will take about 50 years for the ozone layer to re-
turn to 1980 levels and about 100 years for recovery to
pre-1950 levels. Good news. Substitutes are available for
most uses of CFCs, and others are being developed
(see Individuals Matter, at right).
In 1987, representatives of 36 nations met in
Montreal, Canada, and developed the Montreal Proto-
col. This treaty's goal was to cut emissions of CFCs
(but not other ODCs) into the atmosphere by about
35% between 1989 and 2000. After hearing more bad
news about seasonal ozone thinning above Antarctica
in 1989, representatives of 93 countries met in London