There is hope after all. After years of trying to find ways to prevent further damage to the ozone layer, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) report that it has slightly recovered since 1987. 

The research suggests that there has been a slight success from the time when governments started actively reducing gases that emit from human activity.

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According to WMO Secretary General Michael Jarraud, the international action on the ozone layer is a success and that this result should encourage the human race to display urgency and unity in order to tackle issues brought about by climate change.

The ozone layer shields us from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Over the years, it is thickening again after the hole over Antarctica was discovered, the UNEP noted.

The ozone hole is still there but it is no longer getting bigger. According to WMO's Senior Scientific Officer Geir Braathen, they assume that by 2025, they will be able to announce with certainty that the hole is getting smaller.

The progress in the recovery of the ozone layer could be sped up by almost 11 years if ozone-depleting substances, like those found in old refrigerators and fire extinguishers, are destroyed.

The hole that developed was said to have expanded to 30 million square meters at its largest, and now has decreased to some 20 million square meters.

Aside from the great news about the ozone layer, UNEP also announced that due to the ban of ozone-depleting chemicals, two million cases of skin cancer annually  would be prevented by 2030.

The ban would also help in preventing further damages to wildlife, agriculture and even to the immune systems of humans.

The researchers still warned that other greenhouse gases might still lead to a potential revert of the said success about the ozone layer.

TagsOzone Layer, recovery, Research, Greenhouse gases, Ozone hole, Antarctica