From the ozone hole to recovery: Global action enters a new phase

The ozone layer is healing, but recovery is not linear. In its annual Ozone and UV Bulletin released on Wednesday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that the Antarctic ozone hole in 2025 was among the smallest since the early 1990s – the second consecutive year its size fell significantly below the 1990–2010 average.

"This is an environmental success story," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. "Since 2000, the ozone layer has been recovering, and we can expect full recovery within several decades."

Today is the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, observed annually on September 16.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which was adopted on October 15, 2016. It brought hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – potent greenhouse gases – under treaty control for the first time. The 2026 theme, "Global Action for a Cooler Planet," reflects the amendment's dual purpose: protecting the ozone layer while advancing climate action. Full implementation is projected to avoid up to 0.5 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of the century.

But challenges remain. The WMO noted that in 2025, ozone levels over parts of the Northern Hemisphere dipped below average. Even more unexpectedly, ultraviolet (UV) radiation has increased by up to 20% in parts of Europe since the mid-1990s, driven by reduced cloud cover rather than ozone depletion. The WMO projects the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels by about 2040 globally, 2045 over the Arctic and 2066 over Antarctica.

China, the world's largest producer and consumer of ozone-depleting substances, reported at a Beijing conference on Wednesday that it has eliminated approximately 720,000 tonnes of such substances since 1991 – more than half of all reductions by developing countries. Since accepting the Kigali Amendment in 2021, China has reduced HFC production by about 1.185 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent and consumption by 759 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent from baseline levels.

A nationwide ban on hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in cleaning agents took effect on July 1, 2026, thereby phasing out 1,690 tonnes of HCFCs.

"Regardless of how the international situation changes, China's actions to protect the ozone layer and address climate change will not slow down," said Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment Xu Bijiu.