16.09.2021
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
In 1994 the UN General Assembly proclaimed the 16th of September as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The day commemorates the signing of the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer and has been celebrated since 1995. The slogan of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is: “Save the sky: protect yourself - protect the ozone layer”. On the 16th of September, 1987, 36 countries signed a document according to which the participating countries must limit and completely stop the production of ozone-depleting substances. States were encouraged to dedicate this day to promoting activities in line with the mission and objectives set out in the Montreal Protocol and its amendments.
For the Republic of Belarus the protocol entered into force in 1989. Since then, the country has fulfilled all its obligations, the consumption of ozone-depleting substances has decreased by more than 60 times. In order to conduct research in the field of the ozone layer, on June 14, 1997, the Establishment of the Belarusian State University “National Research Center for Monitoring the Ozonosphere” was created. Its specialists monitor changes in the thickness of the ozone layer over Belarus, and also work on the issue of utilizing hazardous gases and replacing them with safe analogs, carry out constant monitoring of the state of the atmosphere and the ozone layer.
Since 1997 the country has been operating systems for licensing the regulation of imports and exports, as well as activities related to the handling of ozone-depleting substances within the country.
The ozone layer is the lightest and the thinnest layer in the atmosphere and contains a relative concentration of ozone (up to 0.001%). 90% of atmospheric ozone is located between 10 and 40 km above the Earth's surface. This area is called the stratosphere. It is she who protects the planet from the dangerous ultraviolet radiation of solar energy.
The main task of the ozone layer is to protect the planet from dangerous solar radiation.
The ozone layer serves as the earth's natural shield.
In the 80s of the 20th century scientists made a discovery: in the Antarctic region the total ozone content decreased by 2 times. It was then that the name “ozone hole” appeared. Chlorine oxide affects ozone depletion. It is a product of factories, industrial enterprises. The problem of the destruction of the planet's ozone layer is closely related to the threat of global warming. There is an assumption that the restoration of the ozone shell will slow down the melting of ice.
We cannot prevent the emergence of ozone holes. However, a person is capable of saving ozone at least at the household level. If the preservation of the environment becomes a priority for each of the states, it is possible that the destructive impact on our habitat will reach a minimum.