International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 2021: Theme, History and Significance

September 16 every year is dedicated to a cause that might not be visibly relevant but is the most important in today’s day and age. After a deal called Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the ozone layer signed by almost every country in 1987, the UN General Assembly, in 1994, proclaimed this day as the International Day for the Prevention of the Ozone Layer.

History and Significance

Humans have been a threat to the natural paradigm of the blue planet. One of the consequences of the oblivious actions harming the environment was the depletion of the fragile layer of gas that protects people on earth from harmful cosmic rays, called the ozone layer.

The Montreal Protocol was a deal for countries across the globe to curb the existence of all ozone-depleting substances such as aerosols, chlorofluorocarbon, halons, etc., widely used for cooling and refrigeration purposes. The usage of such harmful substances resulted in a hole in the ozone layers in Antarctica, first discovered in 1970, which led to acute global warming in the past 20 years.