Ozone Layer Depletion

By: Claire Anne T. Lita

Delaine Maryjo G. Bueno

Vivien Mary S.  Sarabillo

The ozone layer is a blanket of gas that surrounds the entire earth and keeps us safe from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. This blanket, however, is now starting to deplete and needs to be mended. This thin layer efficiently filters and screens almost all the harmful ultraviolet rays. Any damage to the ozone layer will naturally mean the entry of harmful rays into the atmosphere. Without it, there would probably be not a single living thing on the earth’s surface. It is so thin that if it spreads on the earth’s surface, it would only be about three millimeters, about the thickness of your shoe sole. The ozone layer  depletion happens when man-made chemicals begin to disturb the natural balance between the production and destruction of the ozone, so that the balance is in favor of ozone’s destruction. CFC’s or chlorofluorocarbons are man-made chemicals. They contain chlorine atoms that eat ozone by joining with ozone molecules and breaking them. Each chlorine atom can break as many as100,000 ozone molecules. That is the reason behind the thinning of our ozone layer. And not only that, also natural chemicals cause ozone layer depletion, and their build up in the atmosphere cannot be controlled, but they are part of the natural balance. Only man-made chemicals worsen the ozone layer’s depletion. Climate change is one of the effects of its continuous depletion. By the next few years, our homeland will be attacked by UV rays but will we have a chance of survival? Of course we have, only if we save the ozone layer which is our only chance of surviving the deadly UV rays. But what will happen if it disappears? Our ozone already has a big gaping hole in it. It is located in the Antarctic Stratosphere where  the ozone  level has dropped dramatically by 33%. If we don’t restore it to its original percentage.

Other consequences are the rate of people with skin cancer would rise. But all of us don’t want this to happen, so, other people took a leap in organizing campaigns to battle ozone layer depletion. This phenomenon already caused lost of human lives and millions of human properties.  On land, UV-B direction endangers all living forms. The moment a person is exposed to high level of UV-B will find his/her immune system deteriorating. Thus, he/she becomes more prone to diseases and disabilities. As young and concerned citizens, you and I  can also help and contribute in our own little ways: lessen the use of CFC’s, avoid burning plastics, do not let your car belch black smoke into the air. The fact that the ozone layer becomes thinner as years pass by is very alarming, and, when there is ozone layer depletion, it will result to global warming which is much more worse than ozone layer depletion.So we must act now and think fast for time is short. We must spread the word so that people will have sufficient knowledge on the state of Mother Earth. It is better to act and move now then be sorry in the future. If we will care less, we will surely perish and eventually die. l let us help save our future. Let us remind them that all it’s good to be progressive and technologically set, but if the price is such… again… let us think and ponder... are we still safe?