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September 16 is the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. This day promotes the importance of the ozone layer in the stratosphere, which absorbs most of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and thus protects life on Earth. September 16 marks the day when the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987 to phase out ozone-depleting substances.
Substitutes for ozone-depleting substances — hydrofluorocarbons — were also considered harmful. These are greenhouse gases used in a variety of cooling devices such as refrigerators or air-conditioners.
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol thus came into effect on January 1, 2019. It proposes to phase out hydrofluorocarbons by the late 2040s.