Frequently asked questions: On the incessant heat
Frequently asked questions: On the incessant heat
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| Source: The Quartz |
There are so many questions that we have about the environment and sometimes trying to find out just seems like stress. Too much information at once. And sometimes, it feels like too much unnecessary information.
Now, there are F.A.Q.s for everything in this world,
and when I say everything, I mean everything. I mean, who makes F.A.Q.s for F.A.Q.s?
Don’t ask me, look it up.
Why the incessant heat?
This one has been on my mind. Why do you think the heat
waves have soared? Any idea? Bolanle Boluwole, in a Punch post says: The
weather is inclement (had to check the dictionary for that one); the searing
heat walloping everyone. It is impossible to sleep at night, day time is no
better. The depletion of the ozone layer has brought about this terrible
climatic change – and the situation will progressively get worse if the
superpowers fail to agree on drastic measures to save the ozone layer.
Aha! That was exactly what I thought. The ozone layer!
Why? How? Keep reading…
What is ozone?
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| Source: Pinterest |
Oxygen, the air we breathe, carries two atoms normally. The ozone, a layer of gas, is a type of oxygen that carries three atoms rather than two. The ozone forms the ozone layer which acts like a shield protecting us against harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.
Is ozone harmful?
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| Source: Pinterest |
Yes and no. Ninety percent of the Earth’s ozone isfound in the stratosphere (the second layer of the earth’s atmosphere, which isjust above the one we dwell, the troposphere.) At this altitude (height above sea level), it is a protective shield. But when ozone is found very close to the ground (when pollution form cars reacts with UV rays), then, it is harmful. It becomes a pollutant and can damage crops and cause irritation to the human lungs.
Why is the ozone layer in the news, nearly all the time?
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| Source: Interesting engineering |
Simple, if the ozone layer were to completely
obliterate, so will every life on planet earth. Now, our very smart scientists
don’t want to die and as such, in 1974, they discovered that chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) deplete the ozone layer. At this time, the ozone layer was disappearing ata terrifying rate due to the CFCs.
"In 1985, an increasingly enlarging hole was discovered above Antarctica. This prompted world leaders to take action and create the Montreal Protocol to make the ban of CFCs legal in 1987.
-Interestingengineering.com
If they made the ban a long ago, why do we still talk
about it?
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| Source: Pinterest |
Skin cancer! Cataracts!! Both are caused by Ultraviolet-radiation,
which the ozone layer should be protecting us from. The ozone layer is finally healing,
after damage caused by aerosols, UN says. According to them, it is likely to
heal fully by 2060.
How does ozone layer depletion cause excessive heat?
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| Source: Pinterest |
When the depletion of the ozone layer occurs, its
concentration is reduced and so there’s not much to absorb the sun’s rays,
thereby causing an increase in atmospheric temperature of the Earth.
Ozone layer day: September 16
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| Source: Pinterest |
The parties of the Montreal protocol meet annually on
September 16 to adjust the protocol based on new scientific information.
Bill Gates
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Author:
Bibitayo Omidiora is a content creator, and like so many people in this world, has only just begun to understand the need to partake in the fight to save the earth.
As such, in conjunction with Stac Green Club, we will not stop until we all see the value in what is deemed nonsense.
Don't forget to join us again next week. Adios!!!
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