Tasneem Abbasi, Assistant Professor, Centre for Pollution Control and Environmental Engineering, Pondicherry University, and S.A. Abbasi, former Head of the Centre, have co-authored a book that dissects the impact of global warming on the ozone hole.
Prof. Gurmeet Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University launched the book titled ‘Ozone Hole: Past, Present, and Future’ published by Springer (New York).
“It is the first book which shows the effect of global warming on the ozone hole and draws the attention of the scientific fraternity towards a fast emerging environmental crisis of global dimensions,” Prof. Singh said.
The Vice-Chancellor pointed out that the ozone hole had emerged as a global environmental threat during the 1980s when it was learned that several industrial chemicals released due to human activities in the air were reaching the stratosphere and destroying the ozone layer.
The layer protects the earth and its habitants from harmful ultraviolet radiations present in sunlight. If it is destroyed, all life on the earth will perish, he said.
‘Timely contribution’
“Due to the seriousness of this threat, several initiatives were taken by the world’s nations during the 1980s and 1990s which halted the destruction of the ozone layer. But, as shockingly brought out in this book, the ozone layer is again facing destruction due to the effects of global warming,” Prof. Singh said. Until recently, the ozone hole used to form only over the Antarctic region but due to weather modifications caused by global warming, it is now found over the Arctic as well.
These occurences are putting the entire world in very serious risk. “This aspect makes the book on the ozone hole very timely and essential contribution,” he pointed out.