This was the title of an interesting and inspiring debate that I read on a Twitter post from CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council). CEFIC is an organization that involves large, medium and small chemical companies across Europe.
The debate celebrated on 29 October 2021, was about future of chemistry and how it can help society in the management of limited natural resources, climate change, Green Deal, evolving demographics and several other social challenges. Voices from government, industry, civil society and university were present at the debate.
The most interesting ideas from the speakers that I take from that debate are:
- Regulation, policies and technological progress must be aligned. Political decisions without technology behind is only “paper”, but the right technology with no good rules to upscale and share this technology doesn’t lead anywhere.
- Science based innovation is critical and industry must find its practical application at the market.
- Concentration of power among large businesses, academia and governments marginalises other voices that should also be heard.
The challenges of getting circular, reducing CO2 emissions and ensuring digitalisation requires allignment, collaboration and innovation, get the ideas of young generations and attract new talents to work for the industry and shape the transformation.
Unfortunately, the meeting a few weeks ago, at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow was a bit disappointing and the agreements reached may fall very short, perhaps we are too slow to react and we might be running late.
If you are on of these young talents, you have an important role to contribute to the solutions for the sustainable development on our small blue planet. Technology is absolutely fundamental in meeting the challenges we face and their introduction and adoption will come with the young talents.
If you are a politician please take action and stop this “blah,blah,blah, .. ” in recent Greta Thunberg words.
And if you are as me a normal citizen without chemical background or political responsibilities, you can also have influence in your day to day decisions to the same sustainability goal. To have any hope of achieving a sustainable development we need all citizens to change our behaviours no mather where in the world we live.
You know the concept “Earth Overshoot Day”? It marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2021, it fell on July 29. We reach it earlier every single year. See the graphic per country below:
Sustaining our current consumption levels, the current economic and social system will drive to a sudden collapse.
Take care
Rubberman Blog 