Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: A Threat to Life on Earth - Essay Sample

Introduction

Stratospheric ozone depletion refers to the significant destruction of the ozone layer found in the stratosphere such that there is more harmful ultraviolet radiation passing through to the earth. The stratosphere is an upper layer forming the atmosphere and occupies the region that is between 12 to 50 km above the surface of the earth. The need for the ozone layer is to filter out the radiation from the sun reaching the earth. Without the ozone layer, life on earth would be different because such intense radiations from the sun do not support the growth of necessary vegetation or the general life of people (Panel et al., 2019). The concentrations of the ozone layer tend to fluctuate naturally as they respond to weather conditions and the amounts of energy being released from the sun. The reason for choosing this topic is because there is a present need to realize how human activities are contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer, and that means that more people should be educated on how to avoid depleting it.

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Stratospheric ozone depletion as both health and environmental effects on living beings. As the ozone depletion increases the amount of ultra-violet rays reaching the earth, these rays have been confirmed to cause skin cancer and play a significant role in its quick development (Panel et al., 2019). The light is also linked to the development of clouding on the eye's lens. The effects of UV radiation on plants are in their physiological and developmental processes. The UV radiation causes indirect changes to the plants. These changes include the plant forms, distribution of nutrients within the plant, the timing of development phases, and also secondary metabolism. The changes affect the plans by having implications that include the competitive balance of the plant, herbivory nature, causes plant diseases, and also leads to biogeochemical cycles (Panel et al., 2019). Ozone depletion also affects marine ecosystems by damaging the early developmental stages of marine animals such as fish, crab, and shrimps. There cause severe effects by decreasing the reproductive capacity of these animals and impairing larval development. The increase in exposure to UV light results in the reduction of the population for marine organisms, which implies the entire marine food chain. There is an increase in emissions that contribute significantly to the depletion of the ozone layer, and it is necessary to mitigate the concentrations.

The specific actions to ensuring a reduction of emissions that destroy the ozone layer are to ensure that everyone is accountable for their actions or activities that produce more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The largest holder of carbon dioxide is the soil, and the gas tends to be useful while in it. This way, people need to be educated not to engage in activities that lead to soil degradation. The destruction of the ozone layer is mostly from human-made emissions of CFCs and chemicals such as aerosols and cleaning agents (Panel et al., 2019). Human beings need to be taught how to reduce their usage of such chemicals and how to handle their disposal safely. The government could also take charge of participating in a significant activity of carbon dioxide capture from the atmosphere to aid in not destroying the ozone in the atmosphere. Such steps will make sure that human beings do not feel the wrath of the UV radiation when the ozone is depleted, and it is too late to make changes.

Reference

Panel, E. E. A., UNEP, E., & Robson, T. M. (2019). Environmental Effects and Interactions of Stratospheric Ozone Depletion, UV Radiation, and Climate Change. Retrieved from https://ozone.unep.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/EEAP_assessment-report-2018%20%282%29.pdf