EVEN as the ozone holes over the poles heal, ozone levels in mid-latitudes, where the majority of the world’s population lives, are set to decline later this century. To make matters worse, the ozone layer will be at its thinnest in late summer, the height of the holiday season. The result could be soaring death rates from skin cancers.
Until now, the main cause of the thinning ozone layer and seasonal ozone holes has been a build-up of chlorine and bromine compounds in the stratosphere. Thanks to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, emissions of these compounds are falling fast, and the…
