The popular media and the public often confuse global warming with ozone depletion, i.e., the destruction of stratospheric ozone (e.g., the ozone layer) by chlorofluorocarbons.
We've all heard of the ozone hole, or the ozone layer.
Limits were placed on the sale of ozone-depleting chemicals, and the ozone layer was expected to recover eventually.
These reactions purge pollutants from the atmosphere and destroy toxic surface-level ozone (which differs from the protective ozone layer higher up in the atmosphere).
The study found that in some parts of the world the ozone layer had thickened slightly, although ozone levels remained below levels that existed before ozone depletion began.
"The Montreal protocol – the most successful international environmental legislation in history – phased out ozone-depleting substances from 1987 and the ozone layer should recover by 2050.
The ozone layer is slowly recovering, and ozone-depleting substances are still declining.
By drawing in these references from classic science fiction, Monae joins a rich history of black artists looking beyond the ozone layer.
As an unintended consequence, the replacement chemicals for ozone-depleting substances were found to be safe for the ozone layer but very harmful for the climate.
They were replaced by chemicals known as hyrdrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which did far less harm to the ozone layer, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which don't damage ozone at all.
The ozone layer is the part of the upper atmosphere where ozone is found in the highest concentrations.
