Introduction The ozone layer plays a very crucial role in the environment, particularly to the planet earth. The poisoning of the ozone layer is increasingly becoming a worldwide concern. Damage to the ozone layer causes numerous problems for the planet earth and its people. From several diseases leading up to death the harmful effects is increasingly becoming a global concern. This research essay is going to discuss what is the ozone layer; what roles its plays in the everyday lives of people; how the protection of the ozone layer relates to us and why is it so important. This research essay is further going to discuss what problems the international environmental law seeks to address; when this problem was first identified; which countries led to the development of the protection laws of the ozone layer; how the laws have changed overtime to address the situation and whether the international law has been successful in solving the problems that the treaties were designed to address. In particular this essay will focus on the efforts of Australia as nation towards the protection of the ozone layer. Defining the Ozone Layer To begin with, the ozone layer is commonly known as the protective blanket to the planet earth. “Ozone is a pale blue gaseous form of oxygen, in chemical form it is also known as O3. Ozone can be beneficial or harmful depending on its location in the Earth's atmosphere. If the ozone is located in the troposphere (which extends from the surface of the Earth up to approximately 10 miles) it is a harmful pollutant and a major component in smog and other environmental health problems. Such tropospheric ozone can damage plastic, rubber, plant and animal tissue. Ozone located approximately 10-25 miles above the Earth's surface, in a part of the Earth's atmosphere called the stratosphere is very beneficial. The ozone is a major factor that makes life possible on Earth. About 90% of the planet's ozone is in the ozone layer. Ozone in this layer shields and filters out the Earth from 95-99 percent the sun's ultraviolet radiation. A low level of ozone does not protect or prevent the sun's ultraviolet rays from reaching the surface of the Earth, therefore, overexposing life on Earth causing many diseases”1. Distribution and Measurement of the Ozone Layer “The distribution of total ozone over the Earth varies with location on timescales that range from daily to seasonal. The variations are caused by large-scale movements of stratospheric air and the chemical production and destruction of ozone. Total ozone is generally lowest at the equator and highest in polar regions. The amount of ozone in the atmosphere is measured by instruments on the ground and carried aloft on balloons, aircraft, and satellites. Some instruments measure ozone locally by continuously drawing air samples into a small detection chamber. Other instruments measure ozone remotely over long distances by using ozone’s unique optical absorption or emission properties” 2. Discovery of Damage to the Ozone Layer Following its awareness on how important the ozone layer is and what role it plays in the lives of everyday living things on the face of the planet earth, there has also been a lot of speculation surrounding the protection of the ozone layer. A lot of times it is debated and argued upon and people are still in the process of testing and analysing which substances are harmful and which ones are not. The ozone layer was discovered in the 1840s and its credibility of absorbing UV rays was discovered in 18813. “Since the 1960’s, there have been losses in the ozone layer over the Antarctic during the southern hemisphere spring (September–October), often referred to as a ‘hole’ in the ozone layer”4. Significant thinning has also been detected in the northern hemisphere, and ozone depletion became progressively greater over the course of 1990s. Serious levels of UVB radiation have been observed over Antarctica. Damage to the Ozone Layer Secondly, it can be said that being a protective blanket to the planet earth, the protection of the ozone layer is vital for the survival of living things on planet earth. A lot of harmful substances can lead to the depletion of the ozone layer. “Scientific evidence has proven that the natural balance of stratospheric ozone has been upset by the production and release into the atmosphere of ozone depleting substances, including chlorofluorocarbons CFC, halons, CH3CCl3 (Methyl chloroform), carbon tetrachloride, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and methyl bromide. These substances have applications in refrigerators, air conditioners, fi