First of all, environmentalists are always complaining about the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. This hole, which one scientist found out was caused by chlorine in the atmosphere, is said to be caused by chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. CFCs are a man-made substance that is extremely useful in refrigeration, surgical sterilization, and firefighting. However, since some scientists liked these CFCs to chlorine in the ozone layer, the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer virtually eliminated the use of CFCs in several countries, including the United States. However, a scientist named Dobson discovered this hole back in 1956, before CFCs were even being widely used.

     Also, a weather phenomenon known as the polar vortex occurs every August in Antarctica. The polar vortex consists of winds blowing around the South Pole and preventing warmer air from entering the South Pole region. These cold winds force warmer air upwards in warm winds. These warm winds contain water droplets, which eventually freeze into ice particles. These ice particles contain chlorine, and when they reach the stratosphere a chemical reaction occurs that removes the chlorine and empties it into the air. This chlorine is what depletes the ozone layer. Since the winds only occur during August, the ozone hole is largest at that time, then shrinks back down in November.

     Therefore, this “hole” in the ozone layer is just a natural phenomenon in Antarctica, and it is not man-made. Furthermore, this CFC ban, if it has any effect at all, will reduce the depth of the natural ozone hole for a few months over a region where few people live. However, in other parts of the world, the CFC ban will cause sterilization, refrigeration, and firefighting to become less efficient, causing even more loss of life. Therefore, we should have weighed the costs of a CFC ban versus the benefits before we thought of outlawing CFCs.