High above our heads sits a thin, invisible shield of gas that makes life on land possible — and in the twentieth century we very nearly destroyed it, then pulled together and saved it. This episode tells the story of the ozone layer, science’s great environmental success.

You’ll come away understanding what ozone is and why it matters, how everyday chemicals tore a hole in it, and why the Montreal Protocol stands as proof that humanity can recognise a global threat and actually solve it.

Talking Science is sponsored by Kinsoft. Visit www.kinsoft.com.au

Further reading: NASA Ozone Watch; UN Environment Programme – “About Montreal Protocol”; CSIRO – ozone and atmospheric research.