What is ozone? Why do we need it? Until recently, the general population did not know the answers to these questions. In our blindness, we have constantly and regularly destroyed it, not willingly but through our own ignorance and our need for our high quality of life. We release harmful chemicals into our atmosphere. So, what is this ozone? It is simply an invisible shield surrounding the Earth and protecting us from the fierce and uncontrolled sun. The sun is so powerful that it projects harmful rays all the way to Earth. When they reach the ozone layer, they cause a chemical reaction with a gas called ozone found in the stratosphere. The sun's harmful rays split the molecule, but it is stopped. Eventually, the ozone molecules will realign and can stop another harmful ray of sunlight. The balance between the sun's rays and the demand on the ozone layer has been balanced for billions of years on Earth. But unfortunately, without knowing it, people release CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) and halons into the ozone layer. These chemicals put increased pressure on the ozone layer and also break down the molecules. The once balanced ozone layer is now under additional demand and the sun's harmful rays are able to pass through it. These chemicals can remain in the ozone layer for up to a hundred years, destroying the ozone layer. Probably the biggest reason we pollute our environment and then turn a blind eye is because it doesn't affect us. We don't care about what doesn't concern our life. And this was true for the ozone layer, until recently. The ozone layer is deepening or thinning. It keeps growing, letting in more and more harmful UV rays. UV rays are very dangerous and are responsible for many deaths. Where it once seemed perfectly innocent to take your family to the beach and sunbathe for hours, this is unheard of. Excessive exposure to UV rays has been linked to many fatal cases of skin cancer. The damage is not limited to ourselves, the destruction of the ozone layer has been linked to many other problems such as the destruction of agriculture, impact on aquatic life such as the fishing industry and shrimp, forests and the weakening of industrial materials like plastic.Say no. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayNow the good news. The destruction of the ozone layer is not permanent. If industries stop putting harmful chemicals into their products and we stop using them, the ozone layer will eventually repair itself. But it will be many years, another lesson people will learn, before we stop destroying the only home we have. In recent years, strict laws have been imposed on companies producing chemicals that are harmful to our ozone layer. People have become much more aware of our individual role in ozone depletion. We slowly change our habits. I hope we can change before it's too late. We might look at the problems related to the pollution of our planet, especially the ozone layer, and start to lose hope. That there may not be a solution to our problem is just too bad. There's nothing anyone can do to change it. Fortunately for the rest of the world, these few skeptics were seriously mistaken. When the whole world is facing a global crisis too.