Ozone depletion earned Paul Crutzen, Mario Molina and F. Sherwood Rowland the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work in atmospheric chemistry.
The ozone layer absorbs much of the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. Crutzen helped explain how nitrogen oxides can affect stratospheric ozone, while Molina and Rowland showed that chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, could release chlorine in the stratosphere and catalytically destroy ozone. Their work helped establish the chemical basis of the Antarctic ozone hole.
Ozone depletion is not the same as climate change, although some ozone-depleting chemicals are also powerful greenhouse gases. International action followed, especially through the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which restricted many CFCs and related substances. The ozone layer’s recovery is expected to take decades because these chemicals can persist in the atmosphere.