Environmental consequences of interacting effects of changes in stratospheric ozone, ultraviolet radiation, and climate: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2024

This Assessment Update by the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) addresses the interacting effects of changes in stratospheric ozone, solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and climate on the environment and human health. These include new modelling studies that confirm the benefits of the Montreal Protocol in protecting the stratospheric ozone layer and its role in maintaining a stable climate, both at low and high latitudes. We also provide an update on projected levels of solar UV-radiation during the twenty-first century. Potential environmental consequences of climate intervention scenarios are also briefly discussed, illustrating the large uncertainties of, for example, Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI). Modelling studies predict that, although SAI would cool the Earth's surface, other climate factors would be affected, including stratospheric ozone depletion and precipitation patterns. The contribution to global warming of replacements for ozone-depleting substances (ODS) are assessed. With respect to the breakdown products of chemicals under the purview of the Montreal Protocol, the risks to ecosystem and human health from the formation of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as a degradation product of ODS replacements are currently de minimis. UV-radiation and climate change continue to have complex interactive effects on the environment due largely to human activities. UV-radiation, other weathering factors, and microbial action contribute significantly to the breakdown of plastic waste in the environment, and in affecting transport, fate, and toxicity of the plastics in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the atmosphere. Sustainability demands continue to drive industry innovations to mitigate environmental consequences of the use and disposal of plastic and plastic-containing materials. Terrestrial ecosystems in alpine and polar environments are increasingly being exposed to enhanced UV-radiation due to earlier seasonal snow and ice melt because of climate warming and extended periods of ozone depletion. Solar radiation, including UV-radiation, also contributes to the decomposition of dead plant material, which affects nutrient cycling, carbon storage, emission of greenhouse gases, and soil fertility. In aquatic ecosystems, loss of ice cover is increasing the area of polar oceans exposed to UV-radiation with possible negative effects on phytoplankton productivity. However, modelling studies of Arctic Ocean circulation suggests that phytoplankton are circulating to progressively deeper ocean layers with less UV irradiation. Human health is also modified by climate change and behaviour patterns, resulting in changes in exposure to UV-radiation with harmful or beneficial effects depending on conditions and skin type. For example, incidence of melanoma has been associated with increased air temperature, which affects time spent outdoors and thus exposure to UV-radiation. Overall, implementation of the Montreal Protocol and its Amendments has mitigated the deleterious effects of high levels of UV-radiation and global warming for both environmental and human health.

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Publication Details

Journal
Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences
Published
2025-03-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43630-025-00687-x
Citations
19
Primary Topic
Air Quality and Health Impacts
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
22.79

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article

Environmental consequences of interacting effects of changes in stratospheric ozone, ultraviolet radiation, and climate: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2024

Krishna K. Pandey, Rachele Ossola, Anastazia T. Banaszak, Anthony L. Andrady et al.
19 citations
Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences
Air Quality and Health Impacts
22.79
article

Environmental consequences of interacting effects of changes in stratospheric ozone, ultraviolet radiation, and climate: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2024

Krishna K. Pandey, Rachele Ossola, Anastazia T. Banaszak, Anthony L. Andrady, Rosa Busquets, Davide Vione, Donat‐Peter Häder, Sharon A. Robinson, P. J. Aucamp, Anna Harper, Irina V. Petropavlovskikh, Marcel A. K. Jansen, Janet F. Bornman, Barbara Sulzberger, N. D. Paul, Lesley Elizabeth Rhodes, Simon Hales, Gareth Lingham, Timothy J. Wallington, S. Madronich, Gabriel Chiodo, Tamara Schikowski, G. Bernhard, Anu Heikkilä, Catherine M. Olsen, Hanna Lee, Aparna Lal, Mark L. Hanson, Roy Mackenzie, Christopher C. White, Alkiviadis Bais, Patrick J. Neale, Samuel Hylander, Antony Richard Young, Mads P. Sulbæk Andersen, Sten‐Åke Wängberg, Liping Zhu, Rachel Ε. Neale, Laura S. Bruckman, Raúl R. Cordero, Laura E. Revell, Keith R. Solomon, Richard G. Zepp, Paul W. Barnes, Kevin C. Rose, Qingwei Wang, T. Matthew Robson
article en
19 citations

Abstract

This Assessment Update by the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) addresses the interacting effects of changes in stratospheric ozone, solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and climate on the environment and human health. These include new modelling studies that confirm the benefits of the Montreal Protocol in protecting the stratospheric ozone layer and its role in maintaining a stable climate, both at low and high latitudes. We also provide an update on projected levels of solar UV-radiation during the twenty-first century. Potential environmental consequences of climate intervention scenarios are also briefly discussed, illustrating the large uncertainties of, for example, Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI). Modelling studies predict that, although SAI would cool the Earth's surface, other climate factors would be affected, including stratospheric ozone depletion and precipitation patterns. The contribution to global warming of replacements for ozone-depleting substances (ODS) are assessed. With respect to the breakdown products of chemicals under the purview of the Montreal Protocol, the risks to ecosystem and human health from the formation of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as a degradation product of ODS replacements are currently de minimis. UV-radiation and climate change continue to have complex interactive effects on the environment due largely to human activities. UV-radiation, other weathering factors, and microbial action contribute significantly to the breakdown of plastic waste in the environment, and in affecting transport, fate, and toxicity of the plastics in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the atmosphere. Sustainability demands continue to drive industry innovations to mitigate environmental consequences of the use and disposal of plastic and plastic-containing materials. Terrestrial ecosystems in alpine and polar environments are increasingly being exposed to enhanced UV-radiation due to earlier seasonal snow and ice melt because of climate warming and extended periods of ozone depletion. Solar radiation, including UV-radiation, also contributes to the decomposition of dead plant material, which affects nutrient cycling, carbon storage, emission of greenhouse gases, and soil fertility. In aquatic ecosystems, loss of ice cover is increasing the area of polar oceans exposed to UV-radiation with possible negative effects on phytoplankton productivity. However, modelling studies of Arctic Ocean circulation suggests that phytoplankton are circulating to progressively deeper ocean layers with less UV irradiation. Human health is also modified by climate change and behaviour patterns, resulting in changes in exposure to UV-radiation with harmful or beneficial effects depending on conditions and skin type. For example, incidence of melanoma has been associated with increased air temperature, which affects time spent outdoors and thus exposure to UV-radiation. Overall, implementation of the Montreal Protocol and its Amendments has mitigated the deleterious effects of high levels of UV-radiation and global warming for both environmental and human health.

Photochemical & Photobiological SciencesVol. 24(3)
Smithsonian Institution (US), Universidad de Santiago de Chile (CL), Lions Eye Institute (AU), NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (US), Australian National University (AU), University of Copenhagen (DK), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FI), Environmental Protection Agency (US), University of Helsinki (FI), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES), North Carolina State University (US), California State University, Northridge (US), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (US), The University of Queensland (AU), University of Georgia (US), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (US), Loyola University New Orleans (US), Murdoch University (AU), The University of Western Australia (AU), Donghua University (CN), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE), King's College London (GB), University of Canterbury (NZ), University of Colorado Boulder (US), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO), University of Wollongong (AU), Kingston University London (GB), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (GR), QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (AU), Linnaeus University (SE), University College Cork (IE), University of Michigan (US), University of Manchester (GB), ETH Zurich (CH), Leibniz Institute of Environmental Medicine (DE), Institute of Applied Ecology (CN), Salford Royal Hospital (GB), Technological University Dublin (IE), Environmental Protection Agency (IE), Biospherical Instruments (United States) (US), Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (CL), University College London (GB), University of Manitoba (CA), Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (US), University of Turin (IT), Case Western Reserve University (US), Universidad de Magallanes (CL), Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (CH), Lancaster University (GB), University of Guelph (CA), University of Otago (NZ), University of Gothenburg (SE), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), Colorado State University (US), Indian Academy of Sciences (IN), University of Cumbria (GB)
Smithsonian Institution, New Zealand Government, Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia, National Institute for Health and Care Research, European Commission, Royal Society Te Apārangi, Science Foundation Ireland, Murdoch University, Naturvårdsverket, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Oskar Öflunds Stiftelse, Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, Manchester Biomedical Research Centre
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Air Quality and Health Impacts
22.79
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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