What are effects of ozone depletion?

• A. Skin cancer, cataracts, environmental damage
• B. Increased rainfall
• C. Global cooling
• D. No environmental impact

Answer: (A)

Ozone in the stratosphere acts as a shield that absorbs most of the sun’s harmful UV-B radiation. When ozone is depleted, more UV-B reaches the Earth's surface. This direct increase in UV exposure is what drives the main consequences: higher risks of skin cancer and cataracts in humans, because UV-B damages DNA in skin cells and proteins in the eye lens. At the same time, UV-B can disrupt ecosystems by harming phytoplankton and other sensitive organisms in oceans and on land, leading to broader environmental damage and disruptions in food chains and crop health.

The other choices don’t reflect these well-established outcomes. Increased rainfall isn’t a direct effect of ozone loss, global cooling is not the typical result (the issue is more associated with potential warming and ecosystem stress in some regions), and claiming no environmental impact ignores the documented harm to both human health and natural systems.