Study Shows Ozone May Increase Future Earth Warming

The world will warm more than expected due to future changes in ozone.
While the layer provides protection to Earth from harmful solar radiation, additional factors were discovered that may cause it to lead to global warming 40% more than initially thought.
The ozone layer is a layer in the stratosphere, the middle part of Earth’s atmosphere.

A ban on ozone depleting gases, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) a family of compounds of chlorine, fluorine and carbon, previously used as refrigerants in refrigerators and air conditioners helped the ozone layer recover.
However, it was discovered that increased air pollution could lead to global warming 40% more than previously estimated.
A new study led by the University of Reading in the United Kingdom found that between 2015 and 2050, ozone is expected to cause an additional warming of 0.27 watts per square meter (W/m²), a unit of energy density indicating the amount of energy per unit area.

This measure showing how much extra energy is trapped per square meter of Earth’s surface will make ozone, a molecule composed of three oxygen atoms, the second largest contributor to future warming by 2050, after carbon dioxide (1.75 watts per square meter of additional warming).
Professor William Collins from the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading stated that countries are doing the right thing by continuing to reduce harmful chemicals such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which, like chlorofluorocarbons, were previously used in air conditioning systems, sprays and refrigerators.

These compounds harmed the environment in general and the ozone layer in particular.
However, while these measures helped restore the ozone layer, which provides protection from harmful ultraviolet solar radiation that can affect humans, animals, and plants, it was discovered that air pollution from vehicles, factories and power plants also creates ozone near the ground, causing health problems and warming the Earth,” added Professor Collins.
In the study, published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, researchers used computer models to simulate how Earth’s atmosphere will change by mid century.

The models followed a scenario with low implementation of air pollution controls, but with gradual phase out of CFCs and HFCs as required by the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty signed on September 16, 1987, designed to protect the ozone layer by limiting production of harmful substances.
The findings show that stopping the production of CFCs and HFCs mainly intended to protect the ozone layer provides less climate benefit than previously thought, as these compounds are greenhouse gases that warm the Earth.

Countries that reduce air pollution will limit some ground level ozone formation.
However, it was found that the ozone layer will continue to recover over decades regardless of air quality policy, creating unavoidable warming.
On one hand, protecting the ozone layer remains essential for human health and preventing skin cancer.
However, the study authors point out that climate policies need to be updated to consider the broader warming effect of ozone.