Difference Between Ozone Depletion and Global Warming

Ozone Depletion vs Global Warming

In the layman’s approach, ozone depletion and global warming is mostly the same thing. However from a more detailed look at the two issues, it is clearly evident that both of them mean absolutely two different things. Similarities may however be linked to their possible effects on human life as well as some of their underlying courses. From a more scientific outlook, the two subjects are quite interrelated as one leads to the other and therefore can not be entirely divorced from one another.

Although the two are different, activities leading to one always have some impact on the other. For starters, let’s look at the term global warming and what are the factors that lead to global warming. Global warming is the climatic change that occurs when gasses such as carbon dioxide, methane and other refrigerants trap excess heat in the earth’s lower atmosphere and thus increasing the earth’s temperatures. The temperatures rise under this circumstances because the sun’s rays are able to reach the earth but the green house effect created by the refrigerants prevents the same rays from escaping back into the atmosphere. This situation is commonly referred to as the green house effect.

The relationship between global warming and ozone depletion is quite a direct one. As stated in the above paragraph, when the green house effect traps the heat and prevents it from rising back into the stratosphere, global warming is experienced. If this heat does not rise successfully back into the atmosphere, the automatic result is the reduction in temperatures up in the stratosphere. These reduced temperatures are the main course of ozone depletion since the ozone layer does not thrive well under reduced temperatures.

From this relation between the two, it is quite clear that the both need to work in complementary fashion to achieve their heinous goals of damaging the earth. Without global warming, or in the absence of the green house effect to trap the heat down here, there will be no reduced temperatures high up in the stratosphere which is the main condition that will lead to ozone depletion. It is important to note that once one of the two takes charge, then the other side naturally finds a soft landing as the former will have set stage for the activities of the other. In brief;

Summary:
1. As much as global warming is quite different from ozone depletion, it is global warming that actually encourages ozone depletion.
2. Ozone depletion being a direct result of global warming will also contribute to the increase of global warming as its depletion will lead to further damage of the system that should reduce global warming.
3. Both of them are dependent on each other and make a very good viscous circle of destruction even though global warming is characterized by increased temperatures while ozone depletion is characterized by colder temperatures.

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