Around 30 years ago, the world came together to attempt to mend a widening hole in the Earth's ozone layer, which plays a very important role in shielding us from the Sun's ultraviolet rays. A new report compiled by leading environmental agencies has revealed that this long-term healing strategy is continuing to pay dividends, though evidence is emerging that harmful compounds are still slipping through the cracks.

    It was in 1989 that the Montreal protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone layer was enacted, aiming to put a stop to the release of chemical compounds found in fridges, aerosols and dry cleaning products called CFCs. Some modeling suggests that if these compounds were simply left to eat away at the ozone layer, there could now be as many as two million extra skin cancer cases around the world each year.