The world stands at a crossroads. What route to the future should we take? The road to the sustainable city beckons, but what effect will this have on chemistry, which appears so dependent on fossil fuel resources? Its products are part of everyday living, and without them we could regress to the world of earlier generations when lives were blighted by disease, famines, dirt and pain. In fact the industries based on chemistry – the chemical, agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries – could be sustainable and not only benefit those in the developed world but could be shared by everyone on this planet and for generations to come.
This talk will deal with things we regard as essential to a developed lifestyle and which depend on chemistry, namely food, water, fuel, heating, drugs and plastics, as well as other areas where its role is less obvious, such as city living and sport.
This talk will deal with things we regard as essential to a developed lifestyle and which depend on chemistry, namely food, water, fuel, heating, drugs and plastics, as well as other areas where its role is less obvious, such as city living and sport.
