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World Ozone Day

World Ozone Day is observed on September 16, every year. It is celebrated to spread awareness among people about the depletion of the Ozone Layer and search for possible solutions to preserve it. On this day, people from all over the world are expected to join the Montreal protocol to join the talks and seminars. A number of commonly used chemicals have been found to be extremely damaging to the ozone layer.

Life on Earth would not be possible without sunlight. But the energy emanating from the sun would be too much for life on Earth to thrive were it not for the ozone layer. This stratospheric layer shields Earth from most of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation.

The Ozone layer or also known as the Ozone shield, a delicate layer of gas, in the Earth’s stratosphere absorbs most of the Sun’s ultraviolet rays. These rays can cause numerous skin diseases.

History

On December 19, 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed September 16 the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date, in 1987, on which the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed.

On September 16, 1987, the United Nations and 45 other countries signed the Montreal Protocol, on substances that deplete the Ozone layer. Every year, this day is celebrated as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone layer.

The purpose of the Montreal Protocol is to protect the Ozone layer by reducing the production of substances that are supposed to be responsible for Ozone layer depletion.

The World Ozone Day theme “Ozone for life” reminds us that ozone is crucial for our life on Earth and we must continue to protect the ozone layer for our future generations also.

The Protector

The Ozone layer is a piece of the atmosphere that has high ozone concentrations. Ozone is a gas that is made of three oxygen atoms O3. Depending on where the ozone layer is, it can either harm life or protect life on Earth. If it depletes more we would all be more susceptible to impaired immune systems, cataracts, and skin cancer.