(AFP = Yonhap News) 1979 image (left) and 2009 image (right). [NASA제공 자료사진. 재판매 및 DB 금지]
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Editorial Writer Jae-Hoon Hwang = An emergency occurred on the 9th when the Korean Peninsula was included in the fall prediction range of the US Earth Observation Satellite ‘ERBS’, which was falling towards the Earth. The Ministry of Science and ICT issued an alert and convened the Space Hazard Countermeasures Headquarters, and when the estimated time of the crash approached, a disaster safety text message was sent to the public saying, “Some debris from an American satellite has been found near the Korean Peninsula between 12:20 and 13:20.” It is likely to fall.” Fortunately, the satellite crashed into the sea near Alaska without any damage.
The crashed ERBS is an Earth observation satellite that has been tasked with observing and analyzing the distribution of Earth’s heat radiation since it was launched from the Challenger Space Shuttle in October 1984. It observed the earth’s atmosphere for 21 years until 2005, far exceeding the original mission period of two years. This satellite revealed that the ozone layer, which protects life on Earth by blocking solar ultraviolet rays in the stratosphere, is gradually fading. Through this, it is evaluated that it contributed to the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which was aimed at regulating ozone-depleting substances.
The day following the ERBS crash brought good news regarding the problem of ozone depletion. According to a report jointly published by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), ‘the ozone layer will decrease in most parts of the world by 2040 if current policies continue. It is expected to return to 1980 levels by 2020.” The polar regions, which were severely damaged, are expected to return to that level later, the Arctic by 2045 and the Antarctic by 2066. It is very encouraging because it can be interpreted as evidence that the global environment can be significantly improved through human efforts.
The ozone layer refers to the area where the concentration of ozone is high in the stratosphere, which is part of the upper atmosphere. In 1974, a hypothesis was raised that Freon gases (CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons), which were used as refrigerants in refrigerators at the time, destroy the ozone layer. Since then, global conservation efforts have begun. The release of satellite images of the ozone hole over Antarctica caused a great stir, and the urgency of it was raised. In 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed, and efforts to reduce ozone-depleting substances began in earnest around the world.
The Montreal Protocol, which came into effect in 1989, contains bans and restrictions on the use of substances that destroy the ozone layer, such as chlorofluorocarbons, Freon gas, and halon. Korea also joined this protocol in February 1992, and enacted the Act on the Regulation of Manufacturing of Specific Substances Protecting the Ozone Layer in 1991 to determine matters necessary for domestic implementation. It is estimated that the use of CFCs around the world has decreased by regarding 99% since the Montreal Protocol took effect. In other words, 35 years following the adoption of the protocol, a clear recovery trend was confirmed and a specific recovery period was predicted.
There is a prospect that the ozone layer will be restored through human efforts, but if we expand human efforts to the climate crisis as a whole, there is still a long way to go. Countries around the world have specified the goal of limiting the temperature rise due to global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels through the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, but the actual achievements are still insignificant. Last year, natural disasters caused by extreme weather such as heat waves, droughts, forest fires, heavy rains, and floods occurred all over the world. Climate change was singled out as the cause of extreme weather disasters.
In the midst of this, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) held in Egypt in November last year drew attention, but in fact, little progress was made on further greenhouse gas reduction. “Our planet is still in the emergency room. We need to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions now, but we mightn’t achieve it at this General Assembly,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres sadly said. It is hoped that humanity’s joint response to ozone layer destruction and the tangible effects will accelerate the ‘decision to break up’ with climate change and become another stimulus and ‘reinforcement’ that strengthens human efforts.
jh@yna.co.kr
Report via KakaoTalk okjebo
<저작권자(c) 연합뉴스,
Unauthorized reproduction – redistribution prohibited>
2023/01/10 16:19 Send
