The world agreed to ban this dangerous pollutant — and it’s working

2 comments

1. For the first time, researchers have detected a significant dip in atmospheric levels of hydrochlorofluorocarbons — harmful gases that deplete the [ozone layer](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/09/22/ozone-layer-health-air-pollution/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2) and [warm the planet.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/06/05/global-temperatures-1-5-celsius-record-year/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2)

   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](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-024-02038-7) in the journal Nature Climate Change.

   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](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/01/09/ozone-layer-recovery-study-2023/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5) that blocks dangerous ultraviolet sunlight.

   As humanity struggles to control [greenhouse gas pollution](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/11/15/greenhouse-gases-record-high-co2/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8) that has already pushed global [temperatures to unprecedented highs, ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/05/02/record-warm-april-climate-earth/?itid=lk_inline_manual_8)scientists said the progress on HCFCs is a hopeful sign.

   Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/06/11/hcfc-gas-reduction-ozone-global-warming/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/06/11/hcfc-gas-reduction-ozone-global-warming/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)

2. I learned not to click on headlines where the topic is just described as “this”