Why do so many people believe that ozone depletion equals global warming?

No, this bit of misinformation is not due to the US government, or even right-wing talk shows.

Personally I haven't heard anything about ozone depletion (outside of Y!A) in a long time. My guess is that because it's an environmental issue that we heard a lot about in the recent past and now global warming is an environmental issue we're hearing a lot about in the present, people simply assume the 2 are interrelated.

Unfortunately, it can only be due to ignorance.

Global warming is an increase in the long-term average temperature of the surface, oceans, and atmosphere. Ozone depletion is the reduction or loss of stratospheric ozone. They have very little to do with each other. Ozone loss doesn't cause any significant warming (or cooling), and the primary gasses that cause warming don't directly affect ozone loss (though there are some indirect effects, and many gasses that cause ozone loss are also potent greenhouse gasses). About the only things the two problems have in common are that they have to do with stuff we put in the atmosphere, and a certain percentage of anti-environmentalists like to pretend there is no problem.

I think it's because it's logical. The Ozone protects us from harmful UV rays, warming starts at the sun so Ozone is related to warming.

I know that it's not true in this case. I know that CFC's bond with ozone, destroying that level of the atmosphere, and that the reason that CFC's are so deadly to it is that they bond and can float up to the ozone level whereas not many naturally occuring molecules do.

but the logic is there, ozone stops sun rays, sun rays warm, ozone is related. That's the real reason most people believe it.

Why do so many people belive that ozone depletion either equals global warming or is tied to it?

Primarily because we no longer educate students in the hard sciences. They get spoonfed a minimum of information and a bucketful of propaganda.

Ignorance. As long as it appears in the newspaper, or read about some politician who blames everything on global warming, they're easily fooled. I even managed to use that excuse for not sending in an assignment...

Sometimes it seems that more resources are expended on spreading FUD than on teaching science.

Many times in a conversation I'll have to refute some erroneous statement. Not to be argumentative, but just to begin the conversation on some firm footing. I have to backtrack and backtrack to get to the basic science that shows how the statement is based on a faulty premise. You know what? The conversation usually ends before we get to that point. "Oh, don't bother me with all that. I just know I'm right and you're wrong"

Science is hard.

Nice link, thanks.

edit:

Wow Fred, nice answer. Thanks.

Mr. Rationality, you have no idea how close to home your statement lands.

It's not just US

generally I think it is down to populist media more concerned with selling the consumerist hollywood lifestyle, than communicating real information. (and people would rather hear a happy story rather than facts that require them to chnge their lifestyle/self-image)

And if you help people think for themselves rather than believe what they are told you are taking on some very large vested interests.

This is what Joanna Macy identified as our response to the threat of global nuclear war in the 1960s and similar to the current environmental issues. http://www.webnb.btinternet.co.uk/deep.htm

"Until now, every generation throughout history lived with the tacit certainty that other generations would follow." The loss of that certainty "is the pivotal psychological reality of our time." Which results in anger, rage, guilt and sorrow beyond historical personal concern to the suffering of all life and the planet itself.

As parts of a larger body we feel, at a semi-conscious level, acute pain. Pain serves as a warning signal, but we block it out because it hurts, is frightening and we do not understand it. Apathy means the refusal to experience pain, this is reflected in disbelief and denial and a double life, upbeat on the surface, but unacknowledged awareness of unnamed dangers below.

Macy gives the following reasons for our apathy:

Fear of appearing Stupid

Fear of Guilt (from being a part of society causing the problem)

Fear of Causing Distress (burdening others with our worries)

Fear of Provoking Disaster (superstition of naming the devil or self-fulfilling thoughts)

Fear of Appearing Unpatriotic

Fear of Sowing Panic

Fear of Religious Doubt (trust God, he won’t let this happen)

Fear of appearing Too Emotional, self-indulgent, idealistic…

Sense of Separate Existence (all our drives are ego-centred)

Fear of feeling Powerless (not being in control, "nothing I can do about it")

Some of the effects of this repression are: alienation, displacement activities, like consumerism, destructive behaviour, political passivity, blocking out painful information, burnout and a sense of powerlessness.

To counter this Joanna Macy developed "Despairwork". This has five fundamental principles:

Feelings of pain for our world are natural and healthy.

This pain is morbid only if denied

Information alone is not enough (we know we are in danger, can we free ourselves to respond?)

Unblocking repressed feelings releases energy and clears the mind

Unblocking our pain for the world reconnects us with the larger web of life

because they be dumb ? Actually since additional rays make their way to earth it might affect global warming, however one would have to know how much energy ultraviolett rays carry.

yah it is a gimmic to divert attention.

first US sold technology to generate more power and let 70% heat in to the atmosphere. Next was technology to capture the heat released in the atmoslhere .

Now the co2 gimmic is to market the nascent technology of climate development measures.

it is multi billion dollar potential

The same reason so many people believe in global warming. They get their education from the Al Gore and the Kool-Aid drinking press.