The United Nations has released encouraging news: Earth’s ozone layer is gradually healing, thanks to rigorous global efforts to phase out harmful chemicals that destroy it. According to the latest scientific assessment, the global ozone layer should return to its 1980 (pre-damage) levels by around 2040, with recovery over the Arctic by about 2045, and full healing over Antarctica expected by 2066 if current policies stay on track.

This progress follows decades after the Montreal Protocol (1987) banned many ozone-depleting substances like CFCs and halons, which were used in cleaners, refrigeration, and aerosols. Over time, amounts of chlorine and bromine in the stratosphere—key agents that destroy ozone—have dropped significantly.

Still, the journey isn’t over. The report cautions that natural phenomena (like certain weather patterns or volcanic eruptions) and the replacement of banned substances with other industrial chemicals could delay recovery. The success of the Kigali Amendment (which addresses hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs) is seen as essential to preserving the gains already made.

In short: we’re not just watching the hole shrink—we’re ahead of healing in many places.