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The closest we've come to the destruction of all life on earth isn't by nuclear holocaust. It's not by bombing; it's not by intention at all. It's not by natural forces, either, not by plague, or famine, or earthquake, or volcano. No, the closest we've come to destruction is far more mundane. It's when we wanted to feel a bit cooler on a hot day. It's when we brought a sweater to the play in June, when we caught a movie in July, when we stopped by the supermarket in August to buy ice cream from a freezer only slightly colder than the air in the aisle. The thing that's come closest to killing us is the chemical that first made these comforts possible. Through our use of CFC refrigerants - also known by the brand name Freon - we unknowingly ripped a hole the size of the continental United States in the ozone layer of our atmosphere.