An Antarctic expert says the ozone hole which affects New Zealand is slowly shrinking.
Adrian McDonald of Canterbury University says the reduction is due to action that was taken several decades ago to ban CFCs worldwide.
“I guess the signs of first recovery that we’re starting to see are purely due to the Montreal Protocol that we signed about 25 years ago,” he says.
Mr McDonald says it will be several decades yet before the ozone layer fully recovers.
“Obviously the fact that a man-made effect on the ozone is being reduced is great,” he says. “It won’t recover perfectly until about 2050, so we won’t stop seeing ozone holes for another 30 years or so.”
According to Mr McDonald, the recovery of the hole could potentially have an impact on climate change.
Watch the video for Firstline’s full interview with Adrian McDonald.