Estimate: the agreement on the protection of the atmosphere’s ozone layer also curbs climate change
Estimates have it that without the measures provided for in the Montreal Protocol, the average global temperature would increase by more than 2 °C by 2070 due to the heating effect of ozone‑depleting substances.
The agreement has been successful in its original task of stopping atmospheric ozone depletion. According to research, without international agreements to protect the ozone layer, UV indexes would typically rise to value 20 in a large part of the world's populated areas in 2065. UV index values higher than 11 indicate extremely strong UV radiation.
Further information:
researcher Anu Heikkilä, Finnish Meteorological Institute, tel. +358 29 539 4151, anu.heikkila@fmi.fi
Barnes, P.W., Williamson, C.E., Lucas, R.M., Robinson, S.A., Madronich, S., Paul, N.D., Bornman, J.F., Bais, A.F., Sulzberger, B., Wilson, S.R., Andrady, A.L., McKenzie, R.L., Neale, P.J., Austin, A.T., Bernhard, G.H., Solomon, K.R., Neale, R.E., Young, P.J., Norval, M., Rhodes, L.E., Hylander, S., Rose, K.C., Longstreth, J., Aucamp, P.J., Ballaré, C.L., Cory, R.M., Flint, S.D., de Gruijl, F.R., Häder, D., Heikkilä, A.M., Jansen, M.A.K., Pandey, K.K., Robson, T.M., Sinclair, C.A., Wängberg, S., Worrest, R.C., Yazar, S., Young, A.R. & Zepp, R.G. 2019, "Ozone depletion, ultraviolet radiation, climate change and prospects for a sustainable future", Nature Sustainability, 24 June 2019, doi: 10.1038/s41893-019-0314-2