Ozone Story and Significance - Research Paper Example

Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update is a book that was written by several author’s in 1972, covering a computer experimental program of unchecked economic and population growth. The book takes into consideration the variables that affect the environment, particularly the Ozone layer. The factors in the book were assumed to contribute to exponential growth that accurately describes their pattern of increase. The book states that technology used in industries only increases linearly. The book takes note of world population, pollution, food production, industrialization, and resource depletion as the results contributed and affected by the exponential growth of the entire industry. The book Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update examines that industrial production, food production and pollution all contributes to economic and societal collapse in the 21st century. Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update have taken into consideration various factors that cause change in the Ozone layer. These factors include the behavior of the people and their population, and pollution. I concur with the findings written in this book that human behaviors or activities in the world are the causes of the increase in depletion of the Ozone layer. Over the 30-year period given, the world has seen tremendous increase in the level of carbon emitted in the environment. This has in turn caused an increase in the level of depletion of the Ozone layer thus exposing more people to ultraviolet rays of the sun. The variables stated in the book Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update may increase, decrease, oscillate, remain constant or combine with a number of factors to impact on the Ozone layer. The 30-year period given in the book is also long enough to observe, research, and evaluate the effects human activities to climatic changes. The book Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update has played a huge role in setting up the standards of evaluation of the effects on Ozone layer. The book has identified the collect parameters to be used when undertaking a research on the Ozone layer and forms a guideline for other interested researchers as a secondary source of information. The Ozone layer protects the earth from the ultraviolet rays that are sent down to the earth from the sun. There is a great need to protect this layer since it protects people from the possible consequences caused by the damaging rays of the sun. If the Ozone layer in the stratosphere is destroyed by human activities on earth, the effects could be catastrophic. According to scientists, the Ozone layer is a layer of gases that contains much oxygen as compared to the one found around the earth, which protects the earth from ultraviolet rays of the sun. It is found around the stratosphere region of the earth that stretches more than 30 miles above the earth’s surface. The Ozone acts by absorbing the ultraviolet rays of the sun from reaching the earth. The Ozone layer has been a source of much discussion in the recent years since it has been found to be depleting. The main course of the depletion of the Ozone layer is the amassed discharge of CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, which is a form of pollution (Parson 7). Health Perspective In my opinion, I believe that, it is important to protect the Ozone layer of the stratosphere to prevent the Ozone layer from depletion. Most recently, there have been strong connections the depletion of the Ozone layer and the climatic changes occurring in the environment. Depletion of Ozone layer affects climate and vice-versa. After many countries called for convection on the effects of global warming to curb the increasing effects of ultra-violet rays, scientists have noted a slow increase in their effects. Ultra-violet rays are responsible for skin cancer and thus ought to be minimized. Moreover, it is important to protect the Ozone layer in the stratosphere to prevent eye cataracts that are also caused by ultraviolet rays. Albeit there has been an increasing unease about an increased risk of transferable diseases, I feel that the risks posed by the ultraviolet rays from the sun should also be considered. Cases of eye cataracts and skin cancer have also been increasing in many countries with rising societal effects and a resultant increase in health care systems. However, exposure to the sun comes along with various benefits such as vitamin D, which is derived from sun due to UV-B irradiation. Vitamin D helps the body to form healthy bones and decrease the risk of several internal cancers and autoimmune infectious and cardiovascular diseases. The most common forms of skin cancer in humans that are caused by ultraviolet rays’ exposure are basal and squamous cell carcinomas. It is also important to protect the Ozone layer in order to protect the human immune system. This is because the ability of a person to defend themselves against infections depends highly on their immune systems. Regular exposure to ultraviolet rays of the sun reduces the effectiveness of the immune system (Meadows and Randers 17). Terrestrial effects The Ozone layer should be protected to avoid the increasing terrestrial effects on the ecosystem. The depleted Ozone layer has been known to cause radiation that reduces the level of production of the plants by more than 60%. Increased reduction in the production of food is a great threat to the environment and the people who live therein since they rely on the food to eat. The reduction is an outcome direct damage and increased alteration of plant resources towards fortification and acclimation. In my opinion, it is important to protect the Ozone layer since it has adverse effects on animal species, which could lead to their extension. Exposure to ultraviolet rays causes skin cancer to goats, cows, cats, dogs, and sheep and laboratory animals. This suggests that an extra cost will have to be incurred in order to come up with the best cure for the animals. Moreover, infection in animals will also increase with an increase in the exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the depleted Ozone layer (Parson 7). Moreover, it is important to protect the Ozone layer which when depleted, will cause a loophole where ultraviolet rays can penetrate through and cause alteration in the growth of plants. Ultraviolet rays alter the genes of plants, which are transferred to their sibling and thus offer weak genetic products. The weak genetic product thus leads to low food production that cannot be able to feed the entire population of the universe. This in turn causes scarcity of food and thus a conflict between humans and animals in the developing world. It is also significant to protect the Ozone layer since it reduces the growth of trees and alters their flowering periods. Moreover, it is important to protect the Ozone layer since its depletion makes plants vulnerable to diseases while exposing toxic substances. Importantly so, there could be loss of biodiversity and particular species from the plants. An example of the vulnerable food crops are rice and soybean (Meadows and Randers 17). Air pollution Various measures can be used into in order to curb depletion of Ozone layer. Such measures include planting a vegetative cover over the land in order to absorb the amount of carbon dioxide emitted to the environment from industries and households. This is because pollution from industries, motor vehicles, and households contributors the greatest part in damaging the Ozone layer. Moreover, an initiative should be created to encourage industries to plant more trees that are used to absorb carbon dioxide emissions to the environment. In addition, manufacturers and heavy emitters of CFC gases to the environment should be encouraged to reduce the units of carbons produced into the environment. One such initiative has been put in place but at national level whereby countries oversees the amount of carbon dioxides emitted from their factories (Parson 7). However, the researchers in the book Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update did not take into consideration the opinion of the majority of the people who believed that the clouds were the biggest source of energy. Moreover, people believed that the sources of energy, cloud, would continue to grow in the future while the rate of consumption would decrease. The people believe is controversial since modern science has proved that the greatest source of energy is found in the earth. Some sources of energy include water that produces hydroelectric power, underground energy such as geothermal energy and coal. However, my opinion is that the hypothetical expiry time for every single resource would consequently need to be restructured since new discoveries are made every day, while technology and trends became known. My opinion is that the researches in the book Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update underestimated price-mechanism's duties in regulating. This is contrary to their opponents who have overestimated the price mechanism. The book Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update has had an important influence on the outset of environmental concerns and representations in the book are meant to be taken as forecasts (Meadows and Randers 17). In conclusion, it is important to take care of the Ozone layer of the environment. As I have stated earlier, the Ozone layer has a great advantage to the earth’s stratosphere such as preventing excessive exposure of ultraviolet rays of the sun from reaching the earth’s surface. When the Ozone layer is depleted, it exposes the earth’s surface to various severe conditions that destroys its environment. Such effects include, harming the human health, such as their skin through sunburn, and premature aging, eye cataracts, as well as harming their human immune system. However, the book has set standard that are used to measure and determine the level of Ozone gas in the stratosphere (Parson 7). Works Cited Meadows, Dennis and Jorgan Randers. The Limits to growth: the 30-Year Update: The 30-year Update. New York: Earthscan, 2012. Print. Parson, Edward. Protecting Ozone Layer: Science and Strategy. London: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print. Read More