Lessons from the Ozone Layer

This week’s reason for hope

Letter calls on PR firms to drop fossil fuel companies

450 scientists sent letter to PR firms and some of their clients like Microsoft, Amazon, and Unilever

Calls out obstacles oil PR campaigns create for climate action

Cites peer reviewed study published in scientific journal “Climate Change” that identified hundreds of campaigns by PR firms designed to obstruct climate action

Federal judge halts oil and lease auction

A federal judge invalidated the results of an oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico saying Biden administration failed to properly account for the auction's climate change impact.

Sources

Over 450 Scientists Sign Letter Calling on PR and Ad Agencies to Drop Fossil Fuel Clients — Clean Creatives

Scientists target PR and ad firms they accuse of spreading disinformation | Reuters

Court Revokes Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas Leases, Citing Climate Change - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

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What was the problem with the ozone layer?

What is the ozone layer and why is it important?

Layer of O3 molecules sitting in the stratosphere 9-18 miles above Earth’s surface

Serves as protective layer that absorbs UV radiation

Reduced ozone creates problems

• Increased risk of skin cancer and damage to eyes
• Damage to plants and marine ecosystems

Chlorofluorocarbon gasses (CFCs) used as refrigerants and propellants in aerosol sprays, were damaging ozone layer

Process

• CFCs drift up over years
• Hit stratosphere
• UV rays break off chlorine atoms
• Sets off chain reaction
• Destroying ozone molecules
• Each chlorine atom destroys thousands of ozone molecules

‍History of ozone depletion as an Issue

1957 - Global measurements began

1971 - Jim Lovelock headed for Antarctica aboard the research ship Shackleton, equipped with an ECD and a home-made gas chromatograph. Even in the remotest region of the Earth, he still detected Chlorofluorocarbon gasses (CFCs) in the atmosphere—showing for the first time that these chemicals had dispersed across the entire globe.  

1974 - Chemists Sherwood and Molina discovered CFCs were source of problem

• Not much interest in their paper
• Were vilified even in the scientific community

1985 - Jonathan Shanklin discovered hole over Antarctica.  Develops every spring (Late Sep – Mid Oct)

1987 - Montreal protocol signed banning CFCs

History of climate change as an issue

1972 - U.N. First Earth Summit in Stockholm called out climate change for first time

• Warned governments
• Led to increased monitoring of atmosphere

1977/78 - Exxon scientist James Black communicated internally

• CO2 from burning fossil fuels could warm planet
• Doubling of CO2 could increase global temperatures 2-3 degrees Celsius
• Warned that - “Some countries would benefit but others would have their agricultural output reduced or destroyed,”

1980s - Exxon initiated extensive research program to understand impact of CO2 on climate

• Published findings in several scientific journals
• In 1982, Head of Exxon Research, told climate conference financed by Exxon -“few people doubt that the world has entered an energy transition away from dependence upon fossil fuels and toward some mix of renewable resources that will not pose problems of CO2 accumulation.”

1988 - NASA climate expert James Hansen told the Senate global warming has begun. Formation and first meeting of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Late 1980s - Exxon halted research program and pivoted to sewing doubt in its own conclusions

1997 – Kyoto Climate Summit

• Exxon worked to undermine action
• U.S. Senate agreed not to ratify treaty

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What lessons can be learned from saving the ozone layer?

Similarities between ozone and climate crises

Stark warnings and scientific consensus

• Scientists estimated if CFC use was banned immediately, ozone loss would go on for years. If CFC production continued, however, ozone loss would be even greater.
• Projections stated that 17% of global ozone would have been destroyed by 2020
• In 2065, the ultraviolet (UV) radiation falling on mid-latitude cities like Washington, D.C., would be strong enough to cause sunburn in just five minutes. DNA-mutating UV radiation would increase more than 500 percent, with likely harmful effects on plants, animals, and human skin cancer rates.

 Industry deception

• Ozone - The chemical industry maintained that the data on CFCs and stratospheric ozone were inconclusive and didn’t warrant drastic action.  DuPont eventually made a turnaround.
• Climate Change - After shutting down their research program in late 80s, Exxon pivoted to undermining their own scientific conclusions and trying to sow doubt

Wealthy nations need to assist developing countries 

• Ozone - In 1990, Margaret Thatcher said “it is the duty of the industrialized countries to help them obtain and adopt the substitute technologies which will enable them to avoid our mistakes. And an important part of that will be to help them financially, so they can meet the extra costs involved.” 
• Climate change - Paris calls for $100B per year from developed countries to help developing countries with climate impacts

Leadership’s impact - In the Reagan years, treaty talks initially stalled.  EPA initially did nothing and then acted after being sued by the National Resources Defense Council.  Regan’s 2nd EPA administrator was much more supportive of taking action.

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Differences between ozone and climate crises

Scale of transformation needed - reliance on oil versus CFCs

Governments acted quickly on ozone 

More near-term tangible impact with ozone layer (hole over Antarctica, fears over cancer) versus climate impacts that were forecast to be in the future

Media landscape

Sources

Ozone depletion facts and information (nationalgeographic.com)

Chlorofluorocarbons and Ozone Depletion - American Chemical Society (acs.org)

Exxon's Own Research Confirmed Fossil Fuels' Role in Global Warming Decades Ago - Inside Climate News

A brief history of climate change - BBC News

What can we learn from the Montreal Protocol? - Earth Day

We Saved the Ozone Layer. We Can Save the Climate | NRDC

Ozone Hole: How We Saved the Planet | PBS