Forty years ago, British Antarctic Survey scientists made a world-changing discovery: a hole in Earth's protective ozone layer above Antarctica. In this episode, meteorologist Jonathan Shanklin recounts how his routine measurements at Halley Research Station revealed data points literally 'falling off the graph' - the first evidence linking chlorofluorocarbons to ozone depletion.
Professor John Pyle explains how this evidence led to the Montreal Protocol, now ratified by every country worldwide and hailed as the most successful international environmental agreement ever. Atmospheric chemist Professor Lucy Carpenter brings us up to date: the ozone layer is recovering but faces challenges from climate change and extreme wildfires.
What lessons can this remarkable story of scientific discovery, political action and environmental recovery teach us about tackling today's climate crisis? And how close are we to seeing the Antarctic ozone hole finally close?
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Beyond the Ice helps you unpack the latest news in climate science with the experts at British Antarctic Survey. Our planet is changing at a rate and scale unlike anything seen in human history - and Earth's frozen places are the front line. After all, what happens in Antarctica doesn’t stay in Antarctica.
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Beyond the Ice is edited and presented by Em Newton.