A research team in the United States said Tuesday they have found clear evidence that the ozone layer is on the way to recovery and that a worldwide reduction in ozone-depleting chemicals is having the desired effect.
The joint research effort by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the University of Alabama found that ozone depletion in the upper stratosphere has slowed since 1997, a decade after the Montreal Protocol was ratified in 1987 to phase out the production and consumption of cholorofluorocarbon (CFC) and other ozone-depleting substances.
"This is the beginning of a recovery of the ozone layer," said Mike Newchurch, an associate professor at the university and the study's lead scientist.
But he also cautioned, "Ozone is still decreasing, but just not as fast. We are still decades away from total ozone recovery."