NAME: SHANDR’E KIARA PADAYACHEE

SUBJECT: GEOGRAPHY
TEACHER: MKHIZE
TERM ONE

REDUCING OZONE DEPLETION

REDUCING OZONE DEPLETION

Atmospheric ozone layer depletion is a serious problem that the world is

currently facing. The ozone layer protects humans, animals and plants
from harmful ultraviolet rays. Money and time are being spent on ozone
repairs, but the problem continues to exist.

Ozone is a gas that can be a lung irritant when it is present at ground

level. However, when it is in our atmosphere it helps to shield from the
dangerous radiation that the sun’s rays produce. The following solutions
can help to reinforce this shield so that its stays in place for future
generations. Limit fossil fuel powered transportation, limit the use of
CFCs, embrace renewable energies and sustainable land used options.

By limiting the burning of fossil fuels, we remove the gases that interfere
with ozone production. For over four decades, it has been known that
the chlorine in CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) break down the ozone layer.
In order to restore the ozone, avoid using any products including
pesticides, which could encourage a CFC release. By switching coal-
fired power plants off and replacing them with renewable energy options,
such as solar or wind, the ozone will have an opportunity to recover.

Trees and other forms of plant life absorb carbon out of the atmosphere
and replace it with oxygen. Practises such as deforestation therefore
encourage ozone depletion because there isn’t the required natural tools
in place for restoration. Implementing sustainable land-use which offers
quick-growth crop while reducing deforestation could be an immediate
solution to ozone depletion that we should implement.

Even though all these solutions are available, people are still oblivious to
them as they cannot adapt to the change in which we have to make in
order to see results. A large and growing number of our population,
refuse to take responsibility for the depletion of the ozone layer, caused
by centuries of our man-made mechanics and products. Due to this I
think that the recovery of the ozone layer will take even longer than
predicted unless we spread awareness about the ozone depletion and
start making a change as an upcoming generation tio