Our ozone layer is being depleted, contributing to global warming and a change in our Earth’s climate system. The hole in the ozone layer was caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in spray cans and refrigerants, which break down ozone molecules in the upper atmosphere. Human activities contributed to a hole in the ozone layer, which has increased in size, leading to significant climate change. In Antarctica and other cold environments, ice is melting and animals are losing their habitats. The sea level is rising because of the melted ice. Coral reefs in oceans are dying and in most of the large oceans, are being affected by thermal stress that contributes to coral bleaching and infectious diseases. Because of global warming, there is climate change causing extreme weather.
Human activities have contributed immensely to global warming. Take the US, for example. It’s one of the countries with an enormous number of factories. What do these factories produce? Emissions that cause carbon dioxide levels to increase and air pollution which is causing the ozone layer to get weaker. If we do nothing to correct this, we will be on the verge of extinction. Scientists are trying to use other enhanced land management practices that can help, including new technologies that extract carbon dioxide out of the air (direct air capture) or prevent it from leaving smokestacks (carbon capture and storage). Scale, speed, and cost are the main barriers to all of these technologies and approaches.
The bottom line is that we all play a role in helping or hurting our environment. It’s up to us to make the necessary changes to preserve our world for future generations. Who wants to save the planet?
