The Ozone Hole Is Shrinking, But We Should Probably Keep That a Secret

When I lived in Australia, my friends would warn me to start wearing sun protection to prevent skin cancer because of “the hole in the ozone that the Americans created.” I had never worn sunscreen before, but that was good advice (and pretty fair criticism).

On World Ozone Day (Sept 16th), scientists quietly shared the hopeful message that as of early 2022, “the amount of ozone-killing materials in our stratosphere had fallen by 50% to levels last seen before the ozone hole became a problem.” That is great news and proof that UN treaties and international bans on harmful substances are working. At the same time, the reality is there is still a large hole above Antarctica, the same place where the “doomsday glacier is holding on by its fingernails.” So celebrating any sort of progress is a double edged sword.

Loudly proclaiming efforts are successful can cause complacency and stall (or even reverse) the progress that has been made. Case in point, the resurgence of polio, which was once near eradication until stupid people found out and helped it make a comeback. Still, this is an important and hopeful story. Let's just agree to keep it to ourselves.