聯合國報告稱:臭氧層將於2048年恢復原狀

Ozone layer 'is no longer disappearing and will return to full strength by 2048', says UN report.

The ozone layer is no longer disappearing and could be back to full strength by the middle of this century, UN scientists have confirmed.

The phasing out of nearly 100 substances once used in products like refrigerators and aerosols has stopped the ozone layer being depleted further, although it is not yet increasing, according to a new United Nations report released last week.

And it claimed that International efforts to Protect the ozone layer has averted millions of cases of skin cancer worldwide.

The ozone layer outside the polar regions is projected to recover to pre-1980 levels by 2048, although the annual springtime ozone hole over the Antarctic is not expected to recover until 2073.

Ozone in the stratosphere is important because it absorbs some of the Sun’s dangerous ultraviolet radiation.

The report, published jointly by UNEP and the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMo) is the first comprehensive update in four years on the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol phasing out chemicals which accelerate both ozone layer damage and climate change.

'It (the Protocol) has protected the stratospheric ozone layer from much higher levels of depletion by phasing out production and consumption of ozone depleting substances,' said the report.

The report was written and reviewed by 300 scientists and launched on the UN International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

Given that many substances that deplete the ozone layer are also potent greenhouse gases, the Montreal Protocol ‘provided substantial co-benefits by reducing climate change,’ it added.

In 2010, reductions of ozone-depleting substances as a result of the Protocol, were five times larger than those targeted by the Kyoto Protocol, the greenhouse emissions reduction treaty.

'Without the Montreal Protocol and its associated Vienna Convention atmospheric levels of ozone-depleting substances could have increased tenfold by 2050,' Mr Steiner said.

'This in turn could have led to up to 20 million more cases of skin cancer and 130 million more cases of eye cataracts, not to speak of damage to human immune systems, wildlife and agriculture.'

聯合國報告稱，臭氧層“沒有繼續消失，並且會在2048年前完全恢復原狀”。

聯合國的科學家們已證實，臭氧層將不再消失，而且可能在本世紀中葉時恢復原狀。

根據聯合國上週發佈的一份最新報告，隨着冰箱、噴霧器等產品曾使用的近100種物質逐步被淘汰，臭氧層的進一步耗竭已經得到控制，儘管它還沒有開始增加。

該報告稱，保護臭氧層的全球行動已經在世界範圍內防止了數以百萬計的皮膚癌病例發生。

儘管每年春季出現在南極洲上空的臭氧空洞預計要到2073年才能恢復，但是極地以外地區的臭氧層預計到2048年就可以恢復到1980年以前的水平。

平流層的臭氧非常重要，因爲它可以吸收一部分有害的太陽紫外線輻射。

該報告由聯合國環境規劃署和聯合國世界氣象組織聯合發佈，是四年來首次對《保護臭氧層維也納公約》和《蒙特利爾議定書》的全面更新。這兩份協定逐步廢止了加速臭氧層破壞和氣候變化的各種化學物質。

報告稱，“通過逐步廢止臭氧消耗物質的生產和消費，它（《議定書》）保護了平流層臭氧層，使其免於更大程度的耗竭。”

該報告由300位科學家撰寫和審閱，並於聯合國的國際臭氧層保護日發佈。

報告還指出，鑑於許多損耗臭氧層的物質也是很強的溫室氣體，《蒙特利爾議定書》“通過減緩氣候變化帶來了實質性的衍生利益”。

2010年，由於《議定書》的實施，臭氧消耗物質的減少量，比削減溫室氣體排放量的協議《京都議定書》規定的目標削減量多出五倍。

（聯合國環境署總幹事）斯特納先生說：“如果沒有《蒙特利爾議定書》及與之相關的《維也納公約》，大氣中臭氧消耗物質的濃度到2050年將增加10倍。”

“其相應的後果是增加多達2000萬皮膚癌和1.3億白內障病例，更不用說對人類免疫系統、野生動植物和農業造成的危害了。”