In the 1980s, scientists and world governments urgently rushed to stop any usage of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were in most refrigerants in refrigerators and air-conditioning units. Scientists had discovered that the molecules, high in the atmosphere, were highly reactive with the ozone, which shields the planet from harmful ultraviolet B radiation from the sun that can cause skin cancer in humans and animals. If CFC use had not been curbed and banned globally, researchers have estimated that the majority of ozone content of the atmosphere would have been lost by 2060, according to NASA. So far there has been no support linking the use of CFCs to global warming, until now.

A report out of Waterloo University published in the International Journal of Modern Physics B has drawn some interesting correlations between the atmospheric concentrations of CFCs and global warming. "Conventional thinking says that the emission of human-made non-CFC gases such as carbon dioxide has mainly contributed to global warming. But we have observed data going back to the Industrial Revolution that convincingly shows that conventional understanding is wrong, In fact, the data shows that CFCs conspiring with cosmic rays caused both the polar ozone hole and global warming." said Dr. Qing-Bin Lu, lead author on the study.

This graph shows the predicted path of global temperatures is set to continue their decline as a result of depletion of CFC's in the atmosphere Courtesy of the University of Waterloo

Lu looked at statistical data back to 1850 and drew on his new theory of cosmic-ray-driven electron-reaction (CRE) in which high energy rays from space interact with CFCs, breaking them down and helping to then break down ozone molecules. Lu then drew a linkage between CFCs, ozone depletion, and temperature changes in the Antarctic and showed a direct correlation between CFCs and rising global surface temperatures. Hailed as being beneficial for the ozone layer, the banning of CFCs may have done much more for the planet than anyone had known at the time.

Lu predicted that global sea levels will continue to rise while the hole in the ozone layer is still healing. "Only when the effect of the global temperature recovery dominates over that of the polar ozone hole recovery, will both temperature and polar ice melting drop concurrently," said Lu.

11 year solar cycles when cosmic radiation is variable is well synchronized to ozone levels.

Source: Lu B. Cosmic-Ray-Driven Reaction and Greenhouse Effect of Halogenated Molecules: Culprits for Atmospheric Ozone Depletion and Global Climate Change. International Journal of Modern Physics B. 2013.