The hole in the ozone layer shrunk this year

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 14: Traffic moves along the 110 freeway, after Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen L. Johnson this week announced a modest lowering of legal limits on ozone pollution standards, on March 14, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. The change angered not only industry groups who lobbied against the change but also medical, scientific and environmental groups who say that tougher limits are needed. EPA science advisors and a children's health panel had unanimously recommended tougher standards to protect the public, especially children and the elderly, from serious respiratory problems caused by breathing ground-level ozone that aggravates asthma and can lead to premature death, as shown by mounting evidence. A second proposal for more stringent seasonal limits on ozone based on its harm to forests, crops and other plants was reportedly quashed at the 11th hour by President Bush. Governments in areas where the air is declared dirty as the pollution limit of about 84 parts per billion changes to about 75 ppb over an average eight-hour period will have two decades to reduce their emissions. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

The latest NASA reports show it's significantly smaller than it was last time it was measured.

Leaders from around the globe kicked off international climate talks today. The main subject is climate change and what countries can do to prevent it.

There are, of course, a lot of challenges. But there's also some good news. According to NASA, the hole in the earth's ozone layer is shrinking and it's getting smaller.

Paul A. Newman, chief Earth scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, spoke to A Martinez to explain the ozone layer's role and why its shrinking is such good news.

"It was discovered in 1985 and it was getting bigger and bigger, and in the 1990's we saw that it had really jumped to very large levels. In fact, the area of North America is about 9.5 million square miles, the ozone hole was jumping up to over 12 million square miles in the early 2000's.

This year, we saw the maximum size it got to is about 7.6 million square miles. So not as big as North America like we've seen in the past. So, this is really positive news. You have more ozone and so you get less UV."

The latest NASA reports show it's significantly smaller than it was last time it was measured.

To hear more about the ozone layer and why it shrunk this year, click the blue play button above.