In the year 2023, surprising discoveries in ozone layer research, particularly over Antarctica, have emerged. Typically, the ozone hole over the Southern Hemisphere shrinks to complete closure by December. However, this season, scientists from the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) observed something unexpected.

Instead of diminishing, the ozone hole exhibited a series of recurring expansions. By the end of November, its surface remained virtually unchanged, reaching approximately 15 million square kilometers, ranking it as the third-largest in history for this time of year. CAMS experts predict that the ozone hole could become the largest in history by December, posing a serious threat to Earth's ecosystems.

Initially, this year saw a significant increase in the size of the ozone hole, making it the sixth-largest since 1979. It then rapidly decreased but remained elongated at various points, indicating its unusual persistence and extent.

The extraordinary situation is associated with stratospheric dynamics and a strong polar vortex, rather than typical physical and chemical processes. Temperatures are too high for the formation of polar stratospheric clouds, which contribute to the chemical depletion of ozone. The expectation is that the ozone hole will persist until disruptions in the polar vortex allow higher ozone values to reach the stratosphere above the South Pole.

CAMS data indicates that in recent years, we have been witnessing extremely persistent and large ozone holes. This phenomenon not only poses a threat to life on Earth by increasing exposure to harmful UV radiation but also affects global atmospheric circulation, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.

The ozone layer plays a crucial role in protecting life on Earth, and its depletion can lead to numerous negative ecological and health consequences. Observations and research on the current situation are essential to understand the causes of this phenomenon and find ways to mitigate it. Scientists worldwide are closely monitoring the situation, hoping that future seasons will bring stabilization and the recovery of the ozone layer.

It is worth noting that the battle against the ozone hole served as a kind of pilot for the potential taxation of atmospheric gases. In the 1980s, there was a fervent fight against chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), blaming humanity for the formation of the ozone hole. The culmination was the Montreal Protocol, which committed individual countries to combat CFCs. The pilot of taxing atmospheric gases succeeded, but the ozone hole, instead of shrinking, has even expanded. There can hardly be a more spectacular proof of the failure of plans to influence humanity's impact on the composition of the Earth's atmosphere.

Currently, we are following the same path, but instead of combating CFCs, we are targeting carbon dioxide, and more recently, methane and nitrogen. Saving the climate with tax money will likely end up similarly to the fight against the ozone hole—a spectacular failure.