The two faces of ozone

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 31 January 2020; doi:10.1038/s41558-020-0704-5

In the upper atmosphere, ozone is essential to protect the planet through absorption of ultraviolet radiation; but at ground level, ozone is a pollutant, and increasing anthropogenic emissions are resulting in higher levels. Reducing emissions would mitigate the harmful effects of ozone as well as potentially increasing a natural carbon sink.