It was back in 1987 that NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) scientists proved that Chlorofluorocarbons or CFC was damaging earth’s ozone layer and making holes in it. Until that moment CFC was quite a popular chemical and found it’s use in hundreds of products, from hairspray to military systems. But once people were convinced of its detrimental effects on atmosphere, there was an initiative at the international level that led to the signing of Montreal Protocol to phase out the use of CFC and CFC 11 by 2010. But it looks like it’s not going that way.
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A new analysis of NOAA scientists shows some disturbing facts. The production of CFC 11 is on the rise again and it could be from an unidentified location in East Asia. An NOAA scientist Stephen Montzka who is the lead author of this study said ” We’re raising a flag to the global community to say, this is what’s going on, and it is taking us away from timely recovery of the ozone layer. Further work is needed to figure out exactly why emissions of CFC-11 are increasing, and if something can be done about it soon.”
From 2014 to 2016 emissions of CFC 11 have gone up by 25 percent above the average measured from 2002 to 2012. The concentration of CFC 11 are still declining but it is declining slower than it should, if there were no new sources.
CFC 11 is the second most abundant ozone depleting gas. If someone who is causing this damage is reading this, please know that whatever gain you are having from it doesn’t solve the global environmental hazard you’re causing.
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