§ Lord Hardy of Wathasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the number of rockets sent into space has had a significant adverse effect upon the ozone layer. [HL1801]
§ Lord WhittyThe World Meteorological Organisation's Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion considered the effect of rocket launches on the ozone layer in its 1991 report. It noted that while rockets have been measured to have significant effects on local concentrations around some launches for up to a day, recovery is rapid and the global effect is negligible. Research is continuing to improve understanding of the effect on ozone of emissions from rocket engines. However, the effects are still expected to be small overall.