Sky News presents UN report findings which reveal that the ozone layer hole above Antarctica is…
Tags: Pollution, Sustainability, Climate Change, Global Warming, Environment

Sky News presents UN report findings which reveal that the ozone layer hole above Antarctica is recovering and could be fully repaired by 2060. The UN accounts the repair, happening at a rate of 3% per decade, to the banning of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) in the 1980’s. Amongst all the dismal news surrounding the current state of our planet, this bright light at the end of the tunnel is much welcomed, although there is still a lot more that we must do if we want to nurse our home back to health.

CFC is an organic compound, made up of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine which is produced as a volatile product of methane and ethane. Since the 1930’s, CFC has been used in the manufacture of solvents, refrigerants, aerosol sprays, and blowing agents for packing materials. Initially the introduction of CFC was a great substitution for dangerous substances like ammonia, and was labelled as safe, non- toxic and non-flammable. However, the planet suffered greatly. The chlorine subsequently emitted into the atmosphere, which has the potential to significantly damage and destroy large parts of the ozone, as witnessed, particularly over Antarctica.

Thanks to the 1987 Montreal Protocol , an international treaty with over 197 signatories, banning ozone-depleting chemicals, such as CFCs alongside new technology, we are now witnessing the increasing health of the ozone layer. The UN report that the upper layer of ozone over the northern hemisphere will be repaired by 2030, and the damage over the southern hemisphere will return to normal by mid-century. The healing of the ozone layer is fundamental to the survival of our planet and the health of the human race, as it is responsible for absorbing most of the sun’s cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation.

Sadly, despite this great news, there are still areas in the world that continue to destroy the ozone layer with CFCs. Namely, the UN report shows evidence of an unexpected and unidentified increase in CFC-11 from eastern Asia since 2012. This is amidst earlier reports by The Guardian that uncover the source of some of these illegal emissions as pinpointed to the Chinese plastic foam industry. If continued, these emissions will delay the recovery of the ozone layer by up to 20 years, Sky News reports. Additionally, there has been a trend that sees pollutant industries moving to eastern countries, which accounts for their high levels of CO2 emissions. Combining damaging CFCs and harmful greenhouse gasses, is a sure way to prevent sustainability and the recovery of our planet. To mitigate this, production and manufacturers, businesses, and individuals in Eastern Asia, as well as globally, need to start acting more energy efficiently and more environmentally consciously.

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Hotel Cappuccino is an urban lifestyle hotel that is tackling the increasing issue of energy over-consumption by encouraging its guests to act efficiently such as reusing towels. Guests who do so receive rewards from the hotel in the form of Angel Coupons which can be used within the hotel café or to send a donation to a charity. Now, after partnering with Energi Mine, Hotel Cappuccino can integrate the EnergiToken rewards platform, which will further reward their energy mindful guests with ETK which can be spent in a wider ecosystem of vendors outside of the hotel itself. Rewards will motivate more people to uptake energy efficient behaviour until eco-friendly and energy reductive actions become habitual. This will subsequently have a great impact in terms of creating a sustainable planet as green behaviour becomes the natural choice.

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