01.11.2023

Ozone Layer Recovery

Earth's ozone layer is expected to return to 1980 levels in the next few decades, according to a United Nations report released yesterday. The once-every-four-years assessment confirms the collaborative efforts of one of the world's most successful treaties, the Montreal Protocol of 1987, which saw 198 countries agree to ban the use of ozone-depleting substances.

In the 1980s, scientists discovered diminishing levels of UV-blocking ozone in the stratosphere, particularly in the Earth's polar regions. Researchers noted chlorofluorocarbons—used widely in fire suppression, refrigerators, and aerosol sprays—broke down into ozone-depleting bromine and chlorine in the stratosphere, contributing to a decline in the ozone layer. Concerns over the damage a thinner ozone layer would have on Earth's ecosystems led to the rapid adoption of bans on ozone-depleting substances. See the global reduction in harmful chemicals here.

The report claimed average global ozone levels will reach pre-1980 levels in 2040, while the Antarctic region will do so by 2066. Read highlights from the report here.

Dawgs Double Up

The University of Georgia won its second straight college football national championship last night, dominating Texas Christian University 65-7. The lopsided victory makes the Bulldogs the only back-to-back champion in the nine-year history of the College Football Playoff and the first program to do so since Alabama in 2011 and 2012. 

Georgia was led by quarterback Stetson Bennett, who capped a storybook ending to his collegiate career by throwing for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Bennett, a Heisman finalist this year, entered the program as a walk-on and transferred to a junior college for a year before leading the Bulldogs to their first title in four decades last season.

For TCU, the game was an abrupt ending to an otherwise fairytale season that began with the Horned Frogs outside the top 25. See highlights here and a way-too-early top 25 for next season.

Separately, South Dakota State won the Football Championship Series title Sunday, topping rival North Dakota State.

Brazil Crackdown 

Brazilian authorities have so far detained about 1,500 supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, while Brasília's governor has been temporarily suspended from office over accusations of abetting Sunday's storming of government buildings.

Meanwhile, Bolsonaro has been admitted to a hospital near Orlando, Florida, for abdominal pain. The former conservative populist leader, who lost a contentious race to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by a 1.8-point margin in an October runoff, is believed to have traveled to Florida in December, skipping da Silva's inauguration Jan. 1. Bolsonaro has experienced health issues since 2018 when he was severely stabbed in the abdomen while campaigning for president. Last year's runoff marked the first time Bolsonaro lost an election in his 34-year political career.

President da Silva previously held office from 2003 to 2010, championing left-wing populist priorities and credited as lifting 20 million people out of poverty, but was jailed for almost 20 months in 2018 on corruption charges. 

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