Lessons from Ozone

In 1974, two chemists at the University of California published a paper predicting that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) would destroy the ozone layer in the stratosphere that shields Earth from ultraviolet radiation. CFCs were used as propellants in aerosol cans and refrigerants in air conditioners, and while the paper’s authors didn’t yet have a hole to point to, they had atmospheric chemistry on their side. The chemical industry’s response was to fund counter-research, hire lobbyists, and describe the scientists as alarmists whose work was too speculative to justify regulatory action. This was the same playbook that the tobacco industry had been running for two decades, and for a while it worked. The Alliance for Responsible CFC Policy, a trade group representing the manufacturers, argued that the science was uncertain. Industry representatives testified before Congress that banning CFCs would cost hundreds of thousands of jobs and devastate the American economy. Du Pont, which held a…