(FILES) This file image released on December 1, 2009, shows a combination of two images released by the Nasa Earth Observatory showing the size and shape of the ozone hole each year in 1979 (L) and in 2009. The ozone layer in the upper atmosphere that shields life on Earth from deadly solar radiation is on track to recover within four decades, according to a major scientific report released on January 9, 2023. A 1987 international treaty banning chemicals that destroy this naturally occurring layer of molecules, especially over the polar regions, is working as intended, more than 200 authors and reviewers from US, European and UN agencies found. - (Photo by Handout / NASA / AFP)