Turns out the ozone layer is being fixed after all! 03:54

Now, do you remember when everybody was in a frenzy about the ozone layer? You know, there's a hole in the ozone layer. It was terrifying. It was the environmental scare of the 80s and 90s, wasn't it? The hole in the ozone layer. But it seems it's either fixed or it's just no longer a big deal. So once upon a time, scientists discovered this massive hole in the ozone layer.

mainly over Antarctica, and the crucial layer it shields us from UV rays that cause skin cancer, cataracts, and other health issues. Now, they blamed chlorofluorocarbons, remember those, CFCs. Scientists blamed CFCs in the atmosphere for ripping a hole in the ozone layer. And those CFCs were found in aerosol cans and refrigerants.

But it was the Montreal Protocol of 1987 that was hailed as a global superhero of environmental agreements. And this was achieved, remember, during the Cold War. End of the Cold War, but still, while it was raging. And countries rallied worldwide and they phased out CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances. But according to this article on BBC Future, the ozone, the hole in the ozone layer has pretty well been fixed.

It's like we've patched it up. We've replaced CFCs with HCFCs. They're supposedly 2,000 times stronger than carbon dioxide, so there's a drama with them when it comes to climate change. But when it comes to the hole in the ozone layer, it's pretty well solved. Now, that is a great story, isn't it? Scientists reckon it will be completely healed by the 2050s. Now, why I thought this was interesting is shouldn't we be teaching our kids this?

Shouldn't we be telling our children and the next generation, hey, as a human population, we have made huge strides when it comes to doing good things for the environment, good things for the planet. It does not always have to be anxiety, human extinction and doom and gloom.

We solved acid rain. Remember that in the 90s? It was a major issue in Europe and America where acid rain, which was precipitation with high levels of sulfuric or nitric acids, and they were mainly caused by sulfur dioxide.

which was a gas that was produced when we burned coal. So there was so much pollution in the air that when it rained, the rain became acidic, acid rain. It stripped forests, it polluted lakes, it killed wildlife, rivers were a disaster. Do you hear about it anymore? Nope. Because it's pretty well sorted out. Just like we have drastically improved the water quality in Sydney Harbour,

Just like the global humpback population, humpback whales, right? They are currently increasing the population by 7% and 12% each and every year because we've effectively wiped out whaling. So can we please just give ourselves a little bit of credit and can we teach the next generation it's not all bad. Human beings have been doing and are continuing to do really good things for the climate and for the environment.

Now, we're constantly told that's not the case. Our kids are constantly told that's not the case. But just look at the hole in the ozone layer. That is proof we can do it if we want to, and we will continue to do it because we've basically fixed it. I'm just a big advocate of being positive where positivity is demanded and is earned. And in this case, it certainly is.