Sustainability Insight
Ozone recovery as a reminder: science works, policy matters
December 2025
Proof that coordinated policy delivers real results and a call to apply the same ambition to the climate crisis.
The announcement that the Antarctic ozone hole reached its smallest seasonal extent since 2019 is one of the most encouraging environmental signals we have received in years.
After decades of global cooperation under the Montreal Protocol, the atmospheric system is finally showing measurable signs of recovery: later opening dates, earlier closures, and a progressive reduction in area size.
At a time when environmental news is often dominated by climate disruption, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem stress, this positive development matters. It demonstrates something fundamental: when the world commits to science-based policy, coordinated regulation, and long-term implementation, environmental recovery is not only possible, it is inevitable.
But this is where the optimism ends, and the complexity begins.
A success story that coexists with a planetary emergency
While the ozone layer heals, the planet continues to warm at unprecedented levels, and the ocean system, tightly connected with atmospheric dynamics, is experiencing record-breaking heat stress.
The fact that one environmental treaty succeeded while climate agreements remain politically diluted shows a stark contrast:
- The Montreal Protocol worked because it was clear, enforceable, and universal.
- Today’s climate landscape is fragmented, slower, and more vulnerable to geopolitical resistance.
The ozone story should not be misread as proof that “the environment is healing on its own.” Instead, it should reinforce the urgency of replicating what made the Montreal Protocol effective: science, cooperation, regulation, and enforcement.
Why this matters for tourism, destinations, and responsible investment
For tourism, hospitality, and real estate, sectors that depend on environmental quality, the message is particularly relevant:
- Policy works: environmental standards, ESG frameworks, science-based targets, and destination certifications are not symbolic, they generate real systemic change.
- Long-term agreements pay off: destinations that invest in green infrastructure, waste management, renewable energy, and biodiversity conservation benefit from stronger resilience and market positioning.
- Climate risk is accelerating: even with the ozone news, extreme heat, wildfire risk, ecosystem degradation, and ocean warming continue to reshape tourism demand, seasonality, and investment priorities.
In other words, the ozone recovery should inspire confidence in sustainability action!
What we should take from this moment
The ozone layer is recovering because humanity chose regulation over rhetoric. It is a rare environmental victory, and we should celebrate it, briefly.
But the broader climate crisis remains unresolved, and the cost of inaction is rising.
The lesson is not that “nature heals,” but that nature responds when policy is bold, aligned and sustained over decades.
For governments, companies, investors, and destinations, the call is clear:
The same level of coordinated ambition that saved the ozone layer is now urgently needed to protect the climate system that sustains our economies, our communities, and our future.
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