Effects of Ozone depletion

Ozone depletion's consequences fall into three linked categories. For human health, more UV-B reaching the surface raises the incidence of cataracts, throat and lung irritation, aggravated asthma and emphysema, skin cancer, and a weakened immune system, since UV-B damages biomolecules and living tissue directly. For plants, increased UV exposure damages the photosynthetic machinery, inhibiting photosynthesis; because photosynthesis is what draws CO2 out of the atmosphere, this in turn allows atmospheric CO2 to build up further, feeding back into global warming and, combined with reduced crop output, contributing to food-supply pressure. For climate and ecosystems more broadly, the associated temperature rise shifts rainfall patterns, raising the risk of floods or droughts and unbalancing the flora and fauna relationships within …