World Ozone Day 2021: As per the international treaty on the Montreal protocol, all abiding nations should reduce substances that cause ozone depletion. We should take up efforts and spread awareness on preserving the ozone layer.
World Ozone Day 2021
September 16 is annually celebrated as World Ozone Day across the world. The most significant event attached to the International Ozone day is the Montreal Protocol, held in 1987. It was a massive collaboration of more than 24 member nations of the UN. They together signed and pledged to protect the ozone layer by limiting the use of CFCs [Chlorofluorocarbons] and harmful elements that caused the depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere.
World Ozone Day 2021 – History
World Ozone Day was first celebrated on September 16, 1995. Though the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987, the day to establish the contract’s importance happened much later in 1995. The United Nations General Assembly first celebrated the day to bring about global awareness of the need to protect the ozone layer. The day was also celebrated owing to the increased depletion of the ozone layer.
Why is World Ozone Day Celebrated?
For our future generations to survive in an eco-friendly environment, it’s imperative to preserve and sustain the bio-diversities. Harming nature is detrimental to the progress of humankind. The most excellent way to celebrate World Ozone Day is to gather massive crowds and give them awareness about how CFCs destroy the ozone layer above us.
Educational institutions could bring change in educating the public about the need to preserve the ozone layer. Short campaigns, special events at schools, competitions, and essay writing activities are some of the everyday things to be conducted at schools. At the university level, exclusive discussions from expert panels and eminent speakers could be called in to spread the word about International Ozone Day.
World Ozone Day 2021 Theme
The theme of World Ozone Day 2021 is “Ozone for Life: 36 Years of Ozone Layer Protection.” Resource-based themes create a comprehensive information base for worldwide readers. Environment-friendly issues and nature-friendly planet are sure shot fire-themes that will develop more significant awareness across the globe. ‘Heal the earth’ is another popular theme as many organizations and scientific scholars strive for one common concern. Themes associated with climate change, improvement of the ozone layer, effects of global warming etc., are commonly adopted as part of the day’s celebrations.
Significance of World Ozone Day 2021
Ordinary people may not know about the existence and significance of the ozone layer. In the stratosphere of Earth’s atmosphere, there exists a protective shield called the ozone layer. This layer is responsible for absorbing and preventing harmful UV rays from penetrating the Earth’s surface. It is the stratosphere that contains a more considerable amount of ozone layer compared to other segments.
Now the Montreal protocol is again a naive topic to most of us. Let us understand why this protocol was signed at all. With the growth of industrialization and increase in pollution, harmful substances have decreased the quality of air around us. Not just that, they are known to reduce or, in other words, deplete the concentration of the ozone layer. The first ozone depletion was found over the Antarctic region.
For the great contribution in identifying a significant decrease factor, the concerned scientist was awarded the Nobel Prize back then. The science community then began questioning the relevancy of human actions and their detrimental effects on the environment. With the implementation of the protocol, however, the good news is round the corner. The Earth has started healing at a rate of 1 to 3 percent every decade, counted since 2000. So this brings to the foresight the relevance, necessity and importance of World Ozone Day.