The hole in the ozone is on track to be gone by 2060

The oceans are rising, Oregon will basically fall into the sea when the Big One hits, and the globe just keeps getting hotter. But hey, look on the bright side — at least the giant hole in the ozone is on track to be fully healed later this century!

The spot of good news comes from Susan Solomon, the lead author in a study published Thursday in Science that appears to prove that the hole in the ozone above the Antarctic is on track to actually repair itself sometime around 2060. The researchers praise the 1987 Montreal Protocol as at least partially responsible for the progress, thanks to its ban of chlorinated compounds in refrigerator coolants and aerosols, which used to float up to terrorize the stratosphere.

"I think a lot of people feel that environmental stories always have bad endings. In this case, the recovery will happen, but it'll take time," atmospheric chemist Susan Strahan said after evaluating the researchers' evidence.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Solomon agreed. "This is a reminder that when the world gets together, we really can solve environmental problems. I think we should all congratulate ourselves on a job well done," she told Gizmodo.

There you have it — give yourself a pat on the back. Good work, team.