Stratospheric Ozone Depletion - The Changing Arctic Environment: The Arctic Messenger - page 119

However, there are unsatisfactory aspects:

· By the end of 1975, the scientific explanation as to how CFCs would deplete the

stratospheric ozone layer had been described, but this was denied by a large-scale
lobbying initiative.

· Although the United States banned the use of CFCs as spray propellants in 1979

(quickly followed by a few other countries), not much happened. Global CFC
emissions rose and the intense lobbyist campaign continued to deny a link between
anthropogenic chemicals and ozone loss.

· It was not until 1985, when NASA confirmed the existence and huge extent of the

Antarctic ozone hole, that governments began to seriously address ozone depletion
as a global problem that required much more than just a ban on CFCs, such as
spray can propellants. Ten valuable years had been lost.

· The tardiness of governments to react quickly to warnings from environmental sci-

entists will be a recurring theme, as will the influence and power of lobbyists to
hinder action.

· Another recurring theme is our continued inability to learn from our mistakes. We

have a gift for replacing one set of chemicals with others that either cause the same
problems as their predecessors or get up to other mischief. In other words, we have
difficulty in reaching any of the three methods of attaining wisdom, as outlined in
the quote by Confucius at the start of this chapter.

· Climate warming is aiding recovery of the ozone layer. This is expected to result

in ozone levels that are substantially higher in the Arctic than in 1980. If so, the
Arctic could be receiving 20% less UV irradiance than in 1980, thus raising con-
cern that Arctic human populations could face vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, we
cannot regard the climatic enhancement of ozone level recovery as a favourable
development, especially when we consider the collateral negative impacts of glob-
al climate change.

·