A Wider Perspective on Chemistry and Sustainability (by Enrico Cameron, Italy)

Enrico Cameron (GeoStudio – Environmental and Geological Consulting Office, Italy):

In May 2024, the journal Chemical Science, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, issued the open-access paper titled “An anthropocene-framed transdisciplinary dialog at the chemistry-energy nexus”.

The paper is authored by a group of researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including chemistry, economics, history, and ethics, and it introduces the need for interdisciplinary connections between chemistry, social sciences, and humanities to address sustainability challenges. Specifically, the paper first analyzes — at the global scale — the current role and impact of five key substances or groups of substances (carbon dioxide, hydrogen, ammonia, methane, and plastics). Then, the article discusses the projected role of these substances in low-carbon technological scenarios devised by different leading organizations with the primary aim of combating climate change and pollution.

A key point of the paper is that these scenarios have (mostly unacknowledged) limitations due to their lack of incorporation of insights from history, economics, political science, ethics, and other social sciences. These omissions can lead not only to a failure in achieving the desired objectives, but also to a worsening of the actual situation, with a further exceedance of planetary boundaries and the exacerbation of socio-political and economic problems.

The authors advocate for broader, transdisciplinary approaches to address the challenges of the Anthropocene and call for the integration of diverse perspectives to inspire new paradigms for the chemistry-energy nexus. These perspectives include non-orthodox economics, decolonial studies, gender studies, ecological economics, and post-growth theories.

The article also emphasizes the ethical responsibility of scientists in shaping sustainable solutions and encourages researchers (chemists, in this case) to consider non-hegemonic frameworks and alternative economic, social, and technological models for a more equitable and sustainable future.

Reference

Prévot M.S., Finelli V., Carrier X., Deplano G., Cavallo M., Quadrelli E.A., Michel J., Pietraru M.-H., Camp C., Forghieri G., Gagliardi A., Seidel S., Missemer A., Reuillard B., Centrella B., Bordiga S., Salamanca González M.G., Artero V., Birkelbach K.V.A. and von Wolff N. (2024). An anthropocene-framed transdisciplinary dialog at the chemistry-energy nexus. Chemical Science, 15(24), 9054-9086. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SC00099D

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From https://pixabay.com/

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