Ozone loss

May 20, 2009
Ozone loss

In Leahy’s (2008) article, “Climate Change: Chemical Lobby Weakening Ozone Treaty,” he claims that the rate of skin cancer will be raised and also the climate will be changed because of the ozone problem. The author says that, as an example, more than ten thousand people in the US will die and one million or more have skin cancer. In addition, he shows some views of scientists who say that the ozone layer will be damaged within the next 40 years and a lot of people will have skin cancer. So he says that the people should protect the ozone layer by keeping huge quantities of carbon dioxide out and not enter our atmosphere. Also, he explains that a lot of the organisms, animals and plants, would not be continuing in this life. Finally the author suggests some solutions that use a little amount of energy.
What is the ozone layer? How would the life be without the ozone layer? What will life become like if the temperature reaches 50 Centigrade? The ozone layer is part of the atmosphere that surrounds the globe. People believe that destroying the ozone layer will cause the end of the world. People want to live in this life without any troubles; they want to live without pollution and with good health. The ozone layer has become a global issue, which people around the world focus on because of the risks involved. Therefore, the ozone layer is very important, because it protects life from high temperature, organism extinction, and environment pollution.
First of all, the temperature will rise if the ozone layer is lost. Imagine that the temperature today is 125 Fahrenheit; what will happen? A lot of people will have skin cancer and damage to the eye will be increased. According to Leahy (2008), “A less than three-minute exposure to the sun in Hawaii would have resulted in sunburn. Skin cancers would be at least 650 percent higher” (para. 10). High temperature causes inactivity in humans, and so the production will be decreased.
Next, the ozone layer protects the plants and animals from extinction. Erosion of the ozone layer will affect plant life and agriculture, as there are some plants that have a great sensitivity to the ultraviolet radiation that affects their production and is detrimental to the mineral content and nutritional values and thus cause a weak agriculture. Most of the plants and animals need a median temperature to survive. High temperature burns the plants and makes trouble for the animals’ life.
Finally, erosion of the ozone layer will raise the rate of the environment pollution. It causes forest fires and desertification. The smoke coming from the fire will spread in the air and make breathing a difficult process. Also, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and produce oxygen. Water pollution will not let the plants grow well, so the carbon dioxide will increase in the atmosphere and then affect the organism’s life.
In conclusion, the ozone layer is useful for many things; it is useful for the humans, animals and plants, and it is useful for the environment. The ozone layer protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation released by the sun, which causes severe damage to humans. People should find solutions for the environmental threats to live on the Earth with good health.

Reference:
Leahy, S. (2008). Climate change: Chemical lobby weakening ozone treaty. Retrieved May 19, 2009, from http://www.ipsnews.net/print.asp?idnews=43888