Ozone Layer Protection free essay sample

Case Study of Environmental Conservation of Ozone in Hong Kong The ozone layer present in the stratosphere of the Earth is utmost important to us as it protects us from the exposure of ultraviolet rays which leads to several harmful effects. Without the ozone layer, human will be more prone to skin cancer and eye cataracts. Ultraviolet rays can also cause harm to marine life by reducing the amount of planktons and consequently depreciates the amount of fishes in the ocean.Besides that, the depletion of the ozone layer disrupts the production of crops and forest growth, another two things which are essential to human life and another reason why the ozone layer is substantial to us (Gleason, K. , 2008). The Montreal Protocol was created in 1987 for awareness to protect the ozone layer internationally and it is still ongoing until today according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which stated that another nation has just joined this protocol in January 2012 (United Nations Environment Programme, 2012). We will write a custom essay sample on Ozone Layer Protection or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Hong Kong being a signatory to the Montreal Protocol has to play their part in contributing to the decrease of the usage of hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC). In 1985, there was a big hole found on the ozone. The main cause of ozone layer depletion is the release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCF) into the atmosphere. These chemicals can be found in air conditioners, refrigerators, fire extinguishers, aerosol sprays and cleaning agents manufactured in the industry and therefore, Hong Kong being an industrialized country definitely contributes to the gradual disappearance of the ozone.It is harmful because it takes about twenty to hundred-twenty years to break down these compounds. When a chlorine atom is released into the atmosphere, it will react with oxygen molecules, destroying the ozone layer with its chemical processes. This process repeats every single second and as a result, a hole which is twice the size of United States was found on the ozone. The citizens of Hong Kong may not realize that the things they use daily is accumulating and harming the ozone layer day by day which in the end, they are the ones who will be harmed.Furthermore, one of the effects of the depletion of ozone layer is that people now are at a higher risk of several sicknesses such as skin diseases, eye problems and d estruction of the human’s immune system. Skin cancers, cataract and infectious diseases are mainly resulted from the depletion of ozone not only in Hong Kong but in any other country as well. If we compare the health of the human in the past and present, we can summarize that nowadays, many more new diseases has been discovered and a number of them are caused by the increasing amount of ultraviolet rays human these days are exposed to.Hence, the ozone depletion obviously decreases the population of Hong Kong, due to them getting sicker. In addition, the plants’ and animals’ life cycles may be affected and the food chain will be disrupted in the end. Since the depletion of the ozone brings about many disadvantages to the country itself and the world, ways and plans to avoid the situation from becoming bad to worse should be implemented.Being a part of the Montreal Protocol, Hong Kong must reduce 90% of their HCFC consumption by 2015 according to GovHK (2011), a portal made by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, since the members of the protocol has decided to fasten the process of eliminating the usage of HCFC in September 2007. Several ways to ensure a decrease usage of HCFC include the avoidance of using aerosols and sprays composed of chlorofluorocarbon, service air conditioners more frequently and prevent buying products which use ozone depleting substances as refrigerants.