Each year the ozone layer is more damaged than in previous years, and the ozone
crisis is rapidly escalating.
In March 1995, for example, scientists reported an alarming thinning of the
ozone layer over the Arctic, Siberia and Scandinavia. In some altitudes
ozone levels were 50 per cent below those previously observed. On average,
a 20-30 per cent reduction in Arctic ozone levels was reported. The British
newspaper, The Guardian, headlined its front page story, "First Ozone Hole
Found Over Arctic".
Between November (1994) and February (1995) there was an average ozone loss of
10-12 per cent, over Europe, and 5-10 per cent in North America. Du
reached as high as 20 per cent over both continents.
On September 12, 1995, the World Meteorological Organization reported that
ozone depletions over the Antarctic was "so far the most rapid depletion on
record" with severe ozone depletions covering "about 10 million square
kilometers (about the size of Europe)". This was double the size of the
Antarctic ozone hole during the same period in 1993 and 1994, which until 1995
had the "lowest ozone values ever observed by scientists".
