According to a new study led by the UK’s University of Reading, future changes in ozone could cause the world to warm more than had been originally expected.
Stopping the production of HCFCs and CFCs, and the harm they were causing to the ozone layer that protects Earth from ultraviolet radiation, has enabled the ozone layer to recover. However, when this increase in ozone is combined with an increase air poll
Professor Bill Collins, lead author from the University of Reading, said, “Countries are doing the right thing by continuing to ban chemicals called CFCs and HCFCs that damage the ozone layer above Earth.
“However, while this helps repair the protective ozone layer, we have found that this recovery in ozone will warm the planet more than we originally thought.
“Air pollution from vehicles, factories and power plants also creates ozone near the ground, causing health problems and warming the planet.”
The study reveals that from 2015 to 2050, ozone is expected to cause 0.27Wm⁻² of extra warming – which would make ozone the second largest contributor to future warming by 2050 after carbon dioxide (1.75Wm⁻² of extra warming).
The research was published on August 21 in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics and used computer models to simulate how the Earth’s atmosphere could change by the middle of this century.
In related news, the American Meteorological Society’s 35th annual State of the Climate report has revealed that 2024 was a record setting year – with greenhouse gas concentrations, global temperature across land and sea, global sea level, ocean heat content and glacier ice loss all reaching record highs last year. Read the full story