Ozone Holes: Causes and Consequences
The planet Earth is unique in the Solar System because it is the only planet with life. The appearance of life on Earth was possible thanks to a special protective layer of ozone, which covers our planet at an altitude of 20-50 km. What is ozone? Why is ozone important? The word “ozone” means “smelling” in Greek – it is the smell we can sense after the rain. Ozone is a blue gas consisting of three-atom molecules of oxygen, so ozone is very concentrated oxygen. The importance of ozone is enormous because it protects the Earth from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays coming from the Sun. Unfortunately, we (people) do not appreciate what was created by Nature (or God) for billions of years, and the appearance of ozone holes was one of the results of the human devastating activity.