CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -India has successfully achieved the complete phase out of Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-141 b, which is a chemical used by foam manufacturing enterprises and one of the most potent ozone depleting chemical after Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) .

Detailed explanation-2: -Ozone depletion has been most severe over Antarctica because it provides the unique temperature and chemical conditions for effective ozone destruction by halogen gases.

Detailed explanation-3: -As the ozone hole over Antarctica has in some instances grown so large as to affect parts of Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa, environmentalists have been concerned that the increase in surface UV could be significant.

Detailed explanation-4: -Ozone layer depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), carbon tetrachloride (CTC) and halons, were phased out by India in 2010 in compliance with the Montreal Protocol.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Montreal Protocol, finalized in 1987, is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS).