The Incredible Shrinking Ozone Hole The level of chlorine from chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere is falling, and the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica should close by 2050, Australian scientists have revealed. A jubilant Paul Fraser, chief research scientist with the CSIRO's atmospheric research division, which made the discovery, said it was now clear that the pain Western nations, including Australia, had accepted after CFCs were banned in the mid-1990s had been worthwhile. "This is big news ... we have been waiting for this," he said yesterday. "I think this shows global protocols can work."

Finally, some good news about the environment.