Is Chemistry The Hope For A Green World?
Reading an the Sceptical Chymist blog I came across an interview with Penny Brothers a chemist from the university of Auckland, New Zealand and I found this question among others.
How can chemists best contribute to the world at large?
The solutions to the major problems facing the world at present - finding energy sources that can provide quality of life for the world’s population without further damage to the environment - will be chemical solutions. Particularly in the area of energy and sustainability it is chemists who are defining the problems and seeking the answers.
It made me think that the answer was right but rather narrow, there are many green challenges that the science of chemistry can help and few came to my mind:
Finding ways to dismantle toxic waste, finding better ways for recycling and handling garbage, cleaning the oceans from the tons of waste that pollutes them, solving the problem of increase water acidity both in the oceans and in the rain. Creating better foods and drugs for animals and humans…
It seems that everything that we need do cope with can be solved at least theoretically with the help of science but then I wander what does it mean for the accountability and responsibility of men. Is it all technical solutions that we need to found or are there other factors such as living harmoniously with nature that can’t be reduced to scientific questions.
