Mr. Speaker, the ozone layer protects us from harmful ultraviolet or UV radiation from the sun. This radiation causes skin cancer, cataracts, sunburns, and local and whole body immunosuppression. Without the ozone layer, life as we know it would not exist on earth.
It was therefore disturbing that an Antarctic ozone hole was discovered in 1985. Ozone destroying CFC refrigerants were identified as the cause. Remarkably, only two years after the discovery, these chemicals were banned under the Montreal protocol, for which Canada took a leadership role.
The protocol was ratified by 196 countries. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said, “Perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date has been the Montreal protocol”. A global agreement is possible when countries enter negotiations in good faith and carefully consider what we have learned from science.
Following the signing of the Montreal protocol, CFC levels in the atmosphere have decreased and global deterioration of the ozone layer has generally slowed. In fact, it is expected that the ozone layer should recover some time between 2020 and 2050.
Having said that, surprises are possible, as demonstrated this spring when a 2,000,000 km2 ozone hole was discovered over the Arctic. Because surprises are possible and because new chemicals and climate change might affect the ozone layer, we must be vigilant in monitoring our life-giving atmosphere.
Studies show that without elimination of CFCs, most of the ozone layer would have been destroyed by 2065. DNA-damaging UVs would have increased by 550%, leading to large increases of skin cancer.
Canada recently participated in the eighth meeting of the ozone research managers of the parties to the Vienna convention for the protection of the ozone layer in May 2011. There were no indications in Canada's presentation that the Minister of the Environment was planning to effectively wipe out Environment Canada's ozone group and severely curtail ozone monitoring activities.
What is also notable is that the presentation has a slide titled “An Arctic ozone hole”, meaning that Environment Canada was aware of severe ozone depletion in the Arctic well before the government began to announce its cuts to ozone monitoring and science in June. This is a shocking revelation. The document also said:
Balloonsonde networks provide critical high-resolution vertical profiles of ozone, water vapour, and temperature, and need to be maintained and expanded, since such data are critical to understanding the interactions between atmospheric composition and a changing climate.
The operative words “Agreed to by Canada”, indicate that ozones are critical. How is it possible that we are now considering optimizing and streamlining the ozonesonde network, which everyone understands is code for cuts?
A government brief titled “Ozone monitoring cuts” has now surfaced. Will the government clearly say what is being cut from the ozone program, or preferably rescind workplace adjustment letters to Environment Canada scientists, so they can continue research that protects the health and safety of Canadians?