Four years ago, the United States and other industrialized countries agreed to phase out by the turn of the century their use of the kinds of gases that weaken the Earth's protective ozone layer.
But that timetable needs to be speeded up in response to this week's report that an international panel of scientists has discovered that damage to the ozone shield is much more rapid and severe than previously thought.Until recently, scientists believed that ozone depletion was taking place only over the Earth's poles, and in the middle latitudes in winter.
The new study, however, shows a significant decrease of ozone both in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres not only in winter, but also in spring and summer. What's more, the rate of ozone depletion has accelerated.
This means the world is at greater risk from skin cancer, eye injuries and crop damage.
In another new finding, scientists also report that the ozone depletion may have a cooling effect, offsetting or masking part of the global warming trend. If this finding is confirmed, the world could face a dilemma since steps to restore the ozone in the atmosphere could increase global warming - a trend that could raise the level of the oceans and make some coastal cities uninhabitable.
Despite the potential seriousness of the problem, Washington isn't showing much sense of urgency. Oh, yes, the United States is planning to confer with other industrialized nations on the new findings about the deterioration of the ozone layer - but not until next September at the earliest.
What irresponsible folly!
Already, the new findings have prompted the Du Pont Co., the world's largest manufacturers of the ozone-depleting gases used in aerosol sprays, refrigeration coolants, cleaning agents and several other products, to accelerate its phaseout of the chemicals by three to five years. Even before the new findings were made, Germany decided to phase out such chemicals by 1995, five years ahead of the other major nations.
Instead of taking its present lackadaisical approach, Washington should be following Germany's example, and it should be prodding other chemical firms in the United States and elsewhere to follow Du Pont's lead.
At the same time, all nations clearly need to give higher priority to curbing the fumes from smokestacks and cars that keep sending the world's temperature up and up.