Ozone Layer Depletion By: Jack Rosenfeld, Adam Dancing, Sofia Montgomery, and Ana Stevens

CFCs Destroying the Ozone.  When the CFCs are released into the air it goes up and travels through the troposphere and then through the stratosphere and when it reaches the top of the stratosphere it hits the ozone and the chlorine molecules are poisonous so they spread and destroy the ozone.  One CFC molecule can destroy thousands of ozone molecules Ana Stevens

Solutions  The CFC problem may be hard to solve because there are already great quantities of CFCs in the environment. CFCs would remain in the stratosphere for another 100 years even if none were ever produced again.  International action has been taken to limit CFCs. In the Montreal Protocol, 30 nations worldwide agreed to reduce usage of CFCs and encouraged other countries to do so as well.  By the year 2000, the US and twelve nations in Europe have agreed to ban all use and production of CFCs. This will be highly significant, because these countries produce three quarters of the CFCs in the world.  Many other countries have signed treaties and written laws restricting the use of CFCs. Companies are finding substitutes for CFCs, and people in general are becoming more aware of the dangers of ozone depletion Ana Stevens

Solutions  Families could make sure that household appliances do not have any trace of CFCs in them. Similarly, people can check to see if the products they buy contain any CFCs in them.  Try to use products which are labelled "Ozone-Friendly"  Ensure technicians repairing your refrigerator or air conditioner recover and recycle the old CFCs so they are not released into the atmosphere.  Vehicle air conditioning units should regularly be checked for leaks.  Ask about converting your car to a substitute refrigerant if the a/c system needs major repair  Help start a refrigerant recovery and recycling program in your area if none already exists.  Replace halon fire extinguishers with alternatives (e.g. carbon dioxide or foam).  Suggest school activities to increase awareness of the problem and to initiate local action.

Clean Air Act  The clean air act is the law that defines EPA’s responsibilities for protecting the nations air quality and the stratospheric ozone layer.  The clean air act requires that the U.S EPA has to set national health-based air quality standards to protect against common pollutants including ozone smog, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, lead, and particulate soot.  State governments must devise a clean up plan to meet the standards by a specific date. Above is a picture of smog covering the Philadelphia skyline. Here is a picture of solar powered wind mills which help in producing cleaner air.