The ozone layer continues to recover, but this process is not linear. According to the annual bulletin of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), published on Wednesday, it was noted that the Antarctic ozone hole in 2025 was one of the smallest since the early 1990s, marking the second consecutive year its size significantly decreased below the average for the 1990–2010 period.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo called this an 'environmental success story,' emphasizing that the ozone layer has been recovering since 2000, with full recovery expected over several decades.
Today marks International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, observed annually on September 16th. This year celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, adopted on October 15, 2016. This amendment first brought hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)—potent greenhouse gases—under the treaty's control. The theme for 2026, 'Global Actions for a Cooler Planet,' reflects the amendment's dual goal: protecting the ozone layer and advancing climate measures. Full implementation of these measures is projected to prevent warming of up to 0.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
Nevertheless, challenges remain. The WMO noted that in 2025, ozone levels over parts of the Northern Hemisphere dropped below average. More unexpectedly, ultraviolet (UV) radiation in some parts of Europe increased by 20% since the mid-1990s, which is attributed not to ozone depletion, but to reduced cloud cover. The WMO forecasts that globally the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels around 2040, over the Arctic by 2045, and over Antarctica by 2066.
China, the world's largest producer and consumer of ozone-depleting substances, announced at a conference in Beijing on Wednesday that it has eliminated about 720,000 tons of such substances since 1991—more than half of all reductions among developing countries. Since the adoption of the Kigali Amendment in 2021, China has reduced HFC production by approximately 1.185 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent and consumption by 759 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent relative to the baseline.
The national ban on hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in cleaning agents came into effect on July 1, 2026, leading to the phased withdrawal of 1,690 tons of HCFCs. Deputy Minister of Ecology and Environment Xu Bijiu stated: 'Regardless of how the international situation changes, China's actions to protect the ozone layer and address climate change issues will not slow down.'