World Ozone Day 2026: “Global Action for a Cooler Planet”

The United Nations has announced the theme for the 2026 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer – “Global Action for a Cooler Planet” – celebrating the Montreal Protocol and marking ten years since the adoption of its Kigali Amendment.

This year’s theme highlights how the Montreal Protocol, through science-based policymaking, universal participation by countries, consistent implementation of regulations and financing, has demonstrated that international cooperation can deliver tangible results. The agreement has not only halted the deterioration of the ozone layer, but has also helped countries and industries transition to safer and more sustainable technologies without slowing economic development, according to the United Nations.

The ozone hole over Antarctica is showing a long-term recovery trend, although its size varies from year to year due to atmospheric conditions. Its record extent was recorded in 2006, when the ozone hole reached approximately 29.5 million square kilometres. In 2025, its maximum daily extent was 22.86 million square kilometres, around 23% smaller than in 2006. When considering the average area during the main ozone-hole period, from 7 September to 13 October 2025, it measured 18.71 million square kilometres, making it the fifth-smallest average extent recorded since 1992.

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) state that the decline is the result of the long-term reduction in concentrations of ozone-depleting substances following the implementation of the Montreal Protocol. However, scientists stress that recovery is not yet complete, and the ozone layer is not expected to return to levels similar to those of the 1980s until the second half of this century.

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Scientific evidence of damage to the ozone layer led to the adoption of the Vienna Convention on 22 March 1985, which was signed by 28 countries at the time. Two years later, in September 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was adopted, with the aim of gradually phasing out harmful chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride and other halogenated compounds. In 1994, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 16 September as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. On 16 September 2009, the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol became the first treaties in UN history to achieve universal ratification.

Ten Years of Kigali

A particular focus of this year’s campaign is the Kigali Amendment, agreed on 15 October 2016 in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, at the 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol. The amendment expanded the scope of the agreement by introducing a gradual global reduction in the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) – substances that do not deplete the ozone layer but are potent greenhouse gases.

According to the United Nations, over the past decade the Kigali Amendment has demonstrated how climate and development goals can be pursued simultaneously – by promoting energy-efficient cooling technologies, strengthening industrial capacities in developing countries and supporting innovation in the refrigeration and air-conditioning sector.

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