For the first time, researchers have detected a significant dip in atmospheric levels of hydrochlorofluorocarbons – harmful gases that deplete the ozone layer and warm the planet.Almost 30 years after nations first agreed to phase out these chemicals, which were widely used for air conditioning and refrigeration, scientists say global concentrations peaked in 2021. Since then, the ozone-depleting potential of HCFCs in the atmosphere has fallen by about three-quarters of a percentage point, according to findings published Tuesday in the journal Nature Climate Change.Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. Though small, that decline comes sooner than expected, scientists say – and it represents a significant milestone for the international effort to preserve the layer of Earth’s stratosphere that blocks dangerous ultraviolet sunlight.As humanity struggles to control greenhouse gas pollution that has already pushed global temperatures to unprecedented highs, scientists said the progress on HCFCs is a hopeful sign.“This is a remarkable success story that shows how global policies are protecting the planet,” said Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a climate scientist at the University of California at San Diego and Cornell University who was not involved in the new study.Just over 50 years ago, researchers realized that a hole was forming in the ozone layer over Antarctica, allowing cancer …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnFor the first time, researchers have detected a significant dip in atmospheric levels of hydrochlorofluorocarbons – harmful gases that deplete the ozone layer and warm the planet.Almost 30 years after nations first agreed to phase out these chemicals, which were widely used for air conditioning and refrigeration, scientists say global concentrations peaked in 2021. Since then, the ozone-depleting potential of HCFCs in the atmosphere has fallen by about three-quarters of a percentage point, according to findings published Tuesday in the journal Nature Climate Change.Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. Though small, that decline comes sooner than expected, scientists say – and it represents a significant milestone for the international effort to preserve the layer of Earth’s stratosphere that blocks dangerous ultraviolet sunlight.As humanity struggles to control greenhouse gas pollution that has already pushed global temperatures to unprecedented highs, scientists said the progress on HCFCs is a hopeful sign.“This is a remarkable success story that shows how global policies are protecting the planet,” said Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a climate scientist at the University of California at San Diego and Cornell University who was not involved in the new study.Just over 50 years ago, researchers realized that a hole was forming in the ozone layer over Antarctica, allowing cancer …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
