Energy & Environment — Report says ozone layer on track to recover 

A new U.N. report says earth’s ozone layer is slowly mending. Meanwhile, a House Democrat condemns a proposed rule on public lands, and New England faces an electricity crunch. 

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Ozone layer on track for recovery: UN report 

The ozone layer — the atmospheric shield that prevents harmful ultraviolet light from reaching the Earth’s surface — is on track to recover, United Nations (U.N.) scientists said on Monday. 

What are they saying? In the report, which is issued once every four years, the U.N. said the ozone layer has shown recovery and will return to its 1980 levels over the next several decades. 

• The ozone layer prevents exposure to ultraviolet light, which can cause skin cancer and other health problems. It can also harm animals and plants. 
• Human use of ozone-depleting substances — like the chemicals used in refrigeration and fire suppression — were harming the protective barrier, prompting global concern for years. 

What changed? In 1987, countries including the U.S. agreed to the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to reduce the consumption and production of ozone-depleting substances.  

The new report says that this agreement was particularly important to the current path toward restoration, which it said will occur for most of the world by 2040.  

However, recovery around the Arctic and Antarctic will take longer — by 2045 and 2066 respectively, according to the report.  

The report specifically noted that China had decreased its emissions of certain substances in recent years, contributing to the overall decline. 

Read more about the update here. 

Grijalva blasts public land ownership provision

The top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee blasted a provision in the proposed House rules package that would make it easier to transfer public lands, calling it an indication the new GOP majority intends to pursue a broadly pro-industry agenda. 

The…