Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the early nineteenth century, our ability to change the world around us has become profound. At first, the impact on our planet was almost imperceptible, but as we have grown in both numbers and technological capacity, that influence has grown with us. Lately, the effects of our increased activity have begun to manifest themselves in a multitude of subtle, and some not-so-subtle, ways: We have depleted the ozone layer, and now we may begin to change the very climate system upon which we and all other living things we live. on Earth they depend. Indeed, we are experimenting with the future, but unlike a laboratory experiment, which can be stopped and started again if it fails, climate alteration is something that cannot be easily reversed. Whatever happens, we will all be forced to live with the consequences for a long time. The author of Ozone and Climate Change - A Beginner's Guide, Stephen J. Reid, has managed to translate one of the most complex environmental problems into the simplest words. But as he said, undoing what we've done to the ozone layer isn't that simple. The ozone layer or ozonosphere is the region of the stratosphere containing relatively high concentrations of ozone, a pale blue, highly poisonous gas with a strong odor. . Ozone is formed through the action of solar ultraviolet light on oxygen. Ground-level ozone is a health hazard. High concentrations of ozone at ground level are dangerous for breathing and can damage the lungs. Ozone in the upper atmosphere, however, is vital to life. The ozone layer prevents most ultraviolet and other high-energy radiation from penetrating the Earth's surface, but allows through enough ultraviolet rays to reach... half the paper... possible on this planet. Works Cited Lunsford, Andrea A., Ruszkiewicz, John J. The Presence of Others - Third Edition. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000, 237-243. Reid, Stephen J. Ozone and climate change: a beginner's guide. Singapore: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, 2000.Christie, Maureen. The ozone layer: a philosophical perspective on science. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Grundmann, Reiner. Transnational environmental policy: rebuilding the ozone. London/New York: Routledge, 2001.Encyclopedia.com. "The Montreal Protocol." December 1, 2002. .CNN.com - Antarctic ozone hole splits in two. Riccardo Stenger. September 30, 2002. December 1, 2002. .EPA-OAQPS Ozone: good above, bad nearby. December 2, 2002. An Introduction to the Science of Ozone Depletion: Green Nature. December 2, 2002. .