Date:
Professor Darryn Waugh delivered a public lecture, The enduring impact of the ozone hole on climate, to a packed audience on Monday night.
Dr Shane Keating opened the event in the Scientia's Tyree Room, welcoming the 100 attendees and introducing Professor Waugh. Dr Keating officially launched a new initiative, Mathematics for Planet Earth, which promotes applied research in environment and planet earth related matters.
During his lecture, Prof Waugh spoke about the history of the ozone debate, and the good news story of the Montreal Protocol. The Protocol, ratified three decades ago, was the first concerted international effort to impose short-term economic cost to protect against a "speculative" global environmental problem.
However, he warned that vigilance was still needed due to the slow recovery of the ozone, and potential non-compliance of countries to the Montreal regulations, as recently seen in China where widespread use of CFC-11 in the construction industry has been detected.
Wrapping up the talk, Professor Waugh fielded several questions from audience members, before participants continued the discussion over refreshments.