OZONE DEPLETION HAS ALREADY HIT AND WE CAN'T CHANGE THE PAST, BUT WE CAN RECOVER THE PRESENT AND IMPROVE OUR FUTURE. HOW CAN WE DO THIS? WELL, THERE ARE MANY WAYS WHICH WE AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND AS A COUNTRY CAN DO TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF OZONE DEPLETION ALREADY IN EXISTENCE.
HERE IS A LIST OF WAYS WHICH YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
ALTHOUGH WE CAN DO MANY THINGS, COUNTRIES HAVE BEGUN THEIR STANDS. TO BE WITH, CFC AEROSOLS ARE NO LONGER SOLD IN SOLD IN AUSTRALIA, EUROPE, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM. ALSO, THE OZONE PROTECTION ACT WAS INTRODUCED TO AUSTRALIA IN 1989 SO THAT IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL TO IMPORT, EXPORT OR MANUFACTURE PRODUCTS CONTAINING CFC'S IN IT UNLESS IT WAS USED FOR MEDICAL, DEFENSIVE, VETENARY, INDUSTRIAL SAFETY OR PUBLIC SAFETY REASONS. THE OZONE PROTECTION ACT STILL EXISTS. THE THE ONLY PROBLEM BEING FACED WITH THIS IS THAT ILLEGAL TRADES OF CFC'S ARE HAPPENING DUE THE OPA.
HERE IS A LIST OF WAYS WHICH YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
- Limit the amount of driving and use public transport more often - The easiest way to try and decrease the amount
of pollution released into the air and creating ozone holes is by simply
controlling the limit to driving. Consider using public transport instead of a
car, or change your car to a hybrid or electric zero-emission engine.
- Use eco-friendly household cleaning products - Choosing eco-friendly cleaners and household
products can be a simple yet significant way to help our ozone layer. Cleaners
contain toxic chemical which can be dangerous to the ozone layer when released.
In many of your supermarkets, you can find toxic free cleaning products which
are made out of natural ingredients.
- Try to avoid using pesticides - You may find unwanted weeds in your garden, in which pesticide may help for, but it isn’t good for the ozone layer. Try using natural alternative to getting rid of weeds rather than reaching for your pesticide immediately or consider manual weeding or consistent mowing to avoid the weeds growing back and helping the ozone layer from ozone depletion.
- Ensure technicians repairing your refrigerator or air conditioner recover and recycle the old CFCs so they are not released into the atmosphere - Ensure technicians repairing your refrigerator or air conditioner recover and recycle the old CFCs so they are not released into the atmosphere. CFC was the original source for ozone depletion in the 80’s. When you own old refrigerators or old air conditioners, they may still use CFC’s, so make sure they don’t use them so you’re not releasing CFC into the atmosphere.
- Vehicle air conditioning units should regularly be checked for leaks - Vehicle air conditioning units should regularly be checked for
leaks. A simple, individual action that can help our ozone layer is to check if
your air conditioning in a vehicle is not leaking on a regular basis.
- Ask about converting your car to a substitute refrigerant if the air conditioner system needs major repair - Another individual
action you can take to prevent further ozone depletion is to ask about
converting your car to a substitute refrigerant if the air conditioner system
needs major repair.
- Help start a refrigerant recovery and recycling program in your area if none already exists - Help start a refrigerant recovery and recycling program in your area if none already exists. It is a way to get your local community involved in a green activity.
- Replace halon fire extinguishers with alternatives (e.g. carbon dioxide or foam) - Consider replacing you halon fire extinguishers with alternatives such as carbon dioxide or foam to reduce the amount of ozone depleting chemicals being released into the atmosphere.
- Suggest school activities to increase awareness of the problem and to initiate local action - Suggest school
activities to increase awareness of the problem and to initiate local action
and involve a local school into an environmentally green activity.
SOME WAYS WHICH THE GOVERNMENT COULD BE DOING TO HELP REDUCE OZONE DEPLETION IS BY: - Developing rigid regulations for rocket launches - Rocket launches happen all around the world, without considering the environmental effects towards it. Unfortunately, we can’t simply fix this problem because this is an international problem which can only be changed through the work of the international government. Studies shows that the harm caused by rocket launches would overtake the harm caused from CFCs. At the moment, rocket launches have not largely impacted on ozone depletion but over time, it will become a major contributor due to the development in the space industry. All variations of rocket engines interfere and destroy the compounds that are released straight into the middle and upper stratosphere layer which is near the ozone layer.
- Banning the use of dangerous nitrous oxide - Nitrous Oxide (also known as laughing gas) is
the most harmful to the ozone layer and is still in use. Governments across the
world need to take a strong stand for banning this compound if they want to
prevent further damage to the ozone layer.
OUT OF ALL THE WAYS WHICH HAVE BEEN PROVIDED, THE FIRST SEVEN IDEAS SHOULD BE DONE IMMEDIATELY BY INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE THEY CAN BE SIMPLE YET THEY GO A LONG WAY TO HELP PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE OZONE.
ALTHOUGH WE CAN DO MANY THINGS, COUNTRIES HAVE BEGUN THEIR STANDS. TO BE WITH, CFC AEROSOLS ARE NO LONGER SOLD IN SOLD IN AUSTRALIA, EUROPE, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM. ALSO, THE OZONE PROTECTION ACT WAS INTRODUCED TO AUSTRALIA IN 1989 SO THAT IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL TO IMPORT, EXPORT OR MANUFACTURE PRODUCTS CONTAINING CFC'S IN IT UNLESS IT WAS USED FOR MEDICAL, DEFENSIVE, VETENARY, INDUSTRIAL SAFETY OR PUBLIC SAFETY REASONS. THE OZONE PROTECTION ACT STILL EXISTS. THE THE ONLY PROBLEM BEING FACED WITH THIS IS THAT ILLEGAL TRADES OF CFC'S ARE HAPPENING DUE THE OPA.