International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
Next: September 16, 2027
The one environmental problem we actually fixed.
The story
Where it comes from
The UN General Assembly proclaimed 16 September World Ozone Day in 1994, commemorating the signing of the Montreal Protocol on that date in 1987. The protocol phased out the chlorofluorocarbons and related chemicals that were tearing a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, and it is the only UN treaty ever ratified by every country on earth.
How it's celebrated
Schools teach the ozone story as the great environmental success; governments and UNEP report on the layer's recovery and on the newer Kigali Amendment, which targets climate-warming refrigerants. It is a rare environmental day with good news to share.
Did you know
- The ozone hole was discovered by British Antarctic Survey scientists in 1985; the world had a binding treaty two years later.
- The ozone layer is on track to recover to 1980 levels over most of the world by around 2040, and over Antarctica by about 2066.
- The scientists who explained how CFCs destroy ozone, Mario Molina, Sherwood Rowland and Paul Crutzen, shared the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
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- World Cleanup Day · September 20, 2027
- International Day of Peace · September 21, 2027