A pair of images shows areas of low ozone over Antarctica, September 2000 left and September 2018. The violet and blue colors are those where there is the least ozone, while the yellows and reds are the ones where there is the most ozone. A United Nations report released on November 5, 2018 states that the protective ozone layer of the Earth is finally cured after aerosols and coolants eradicate it.(Photo: NASA via AP)

Finally good news from the environment.

The ozone layer – which protects us from the harmful rays of the sun – heals slowly, the United Nations announced Monday.

"This is very good news," said NASA scientist Paul Newman, co-author of the UN report.

In the northern half of the world, the layer should be fully repaired by 2030, the report says. The good news is due to decades of global cooperation to eliminate chemicals that deplete the ozone layer.

"If ozone – depleting substances continued to increase, we would have had enormous effects. We stopped that, "said Newman. If nothing had been done to stop the thinning, the world would have destroyed two-thirds of its ozone layer by 2065, he said.

The famous hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic is also recovering, but it will continue to occur annually until the 2060s. (Ozone will take longer to to heal in the southern half of the world.)

According to NASA, the ozone layer is located in the stratosphere, at a distance of 7 to 25 miles above the surface of the Earth. It acts as a sunscreen, protecting the planet from ultraviolet rays that can cause skin cancer and cataracts, suppress the immune system and damage plants.

The ozone layer naturally elevated in the atmosphere is the "good" ozone and contrasts with the "bad" layer of ozone near the surface, a pollution created by the man who can cause breathing problems.

Scientists first discovered the dramatic thinning of the Earth's protective ozone layer in the 1970s and determined that the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in refrigerators and aerosols was cause of the problem.

In the late 1980s, 196 countries signed the Montreal Protocol, a treaty that limited the production of CFCs around the world. Companies quickly proposed safer alternatives for aerosol cans and refrigerators.

Scientists explain that the way in which humanity has solved the problem of ozone is also a model for combating global warming caused by man.

"The Montreal Protocol is one of the most successful multilateral agreements in history for a reason," said Erik Solheim, head of the United Nations Environment Program. "The judicious blend of authoritative science and collaborative action that defines the protocol for over 30 years and that is supposed to cure our ozone layer is precisely why the Kigali amendment is so promising for climate action in the future, "he said in a statement. .

The Kigali amendment calls for significantly reducing the future use of powerful greenhouse gases, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), in refrigerators, air conditioners and cars.

"Carbon dioxide emissions remain by far the largest greenhouse gases
global warming, "said Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization, Petteri Taalas. But we can also help fight climate change by
commitment to other gases, including HFCs. Every warming is important, "he said.

Contribute: The Associated Press

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