NORTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — According to the EPA, North Dakota continues to have good ozone and air quality reports throughout the year.

But our good air quality and ozone health not only impact our state but also helps the ozone levels worldwide.

We’ve all heard about the ozone hole over Antarctica, but some good news.

In the United Nations’ recent report, the protective ozone layer is healing and should be completely healed in 43 years.

Scientists say this happened in part because, after 35 years, every country in the world agreed to stop producing chemicals that destroyed the ozone.

Hydro-fluoro-carbons are caused by air conditioning and refrigeration. These carbons slowly destroy the ozone.

States, like North Dakota, use the least amount of air conditioning in the country and therefore, confirmed why North Dakota has such low levels of these compounds.

“To help with this effort, the Energy Department is finding new alternatives to HFC’s that also boost efficiency in today’s equipment. It’s also working on new technologies such as magnetocaloric cooling to eventually replace refrigerant-based vapor compression altogether,” said a video from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The United Nations’ report clarifies that other factors do impact the ozone out of human control, such as volcanic eruptions. But it states this healing of the ozone layer is good news overall.