"Ozone Depletion...Give Me a Break!" This essay explains the myths and rumors about ozone depletions and CFC's. It has much information, but lacks sources. One of my better controversial papers.

Essay by SoccerNutt08High School, 10th gradeA+, May 2004

download word file, 4 pages 4.8

Some scientists have proclaimed that the human race is slowly depleting the layer of ozone which protects us from ultra violet light. In reality, humans have very little control of the world in which we live. Scientific evidence has shown that there is very little depletion in the ozone layer and the contributions the human race makes towards this depletion is and always will be insignificant compared to nature. The theories of the depletion and what it would cause are flawed and contradictory. Where and when did this global killing threat begin? It all began in the mid 1960's when the United States government began pursuing super sonic transports. These would be planes which would travel in the stratosphere, very close to the ozone layer. The first environmentalist complaints were actually of the noise factor. These large planes would be traveling in excess of the speed of sound. Subsequently there would be sonic booms heard on the surface (Singer).

The arguments fell on deaf ears in Washington.

The next objection came in the form of ozone depletion. A fleet of over 500 of these planes would ultimately destroy the ozone. This would allow more ultra violet radiation to fall to the earth and in turn skin cancer rates would sky rocket. That was more than enough for the federal government to get involved, they immediately canceled the project. At that time there was no study done to investigate these claims, but there has been since. The initial estimation was that a fleet of 500 SSTs would effectively reduce the ozone layer seventy percent. In the 1970's that number fell to ten percent. With the emergence of the Concorde, which is a SST, in the 1980's, studies were done that show the emissions from these planes actually insulate the ozone layer...