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By Ashley Baker, Scientific Content Manager (Contractor) at the ACS Green Chemistry Institute.
Green chemists and engineers are well-positioned to help design a sustainable, climate-resilient future. In the face of an unprecedented climate crisis, these fields provide a framework to ask more of traditional processes and products. As we rapidly approach Climate Week NYC and the hundreds of affiliated events – including the Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Ceremony – we invite you to check out the climate resources on the Green Chemistry for Sustainability (GCS) platform. GCS’s “Explore Deeper” pages allow users to dive into the connection between green chemistry and topics like energy, environmental justice, and policy. In particular, GCS’s Climate page presents a range of resources to empower you to apply your unique knowledge as a chemist or engineer to develop solutions for a sustainable future. We hope it will inspire you to ask, “How will I use my skills to make a positive impact?”
Multimedia Learning
On the Climate page, learn about the relationship between chemistry and climate action through a curated resource collection, where you can:
- Watch a video, “Green Chemistry and Feedstocks,” from the Center for Green Chemistry and Engineering at Yale on the role of chemists in developing sustainable feedstocks with a lower carbon footprint.
- Implement tools and metrics that empower you to evaluate and improve the greenness of chemistries and processes over the full product lifecycle.
- Access a special ACS virtual collection through GCS that is a doorway to understanding how chemistry research is directly tied to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
- Explore climate-related educational materials in the GCTLC Library. You can filter resources by green chemistry principle, or simply search “climate.”
- Read an article from the ACS GCI Nexus Blog, “Green Chemistry & Climate,” addressing key areas for chemists to positively impact climate action written by former ACS Director of Scientific Advancement Mary Kirchoff.
- Access EPA’s resources about the benefits to the environment, human health, and the economy associated with the implementation of green chemistry.
- Make a Difference: view and download slides from an ACS Webinar that explores how chemistry and engineering have contributed to improvements in environmental quality over the past 50 years.
- International projects: read about chemistry and climate in the IPCC report, “Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis,” and delve into IUPAC projects that address the challenges associated with climate change.
- Learn about tackling climate change through the RSC climate resource suite, including lesson plans, experiments, and activities.
- CEP Special Issue on Climate: this issue of Chemical Engineering Progress (CEP) provides chemical engineers with information about climate change as a foundation for developing effective climate solutions.
The GCS Climate page will be updated periodically as new resources are created by the chemistry, engineering, and broader sustainability communities.
The GCS Tools & Metrics Library
There are more than thirty tools, metrics, and calculators that community members have shared to the GCS Tools and Metrics Library. These tools help chemists and engineers quantify the health, safety, and environmental impacts of their procedures, including methods for evaluating solvent choice, energy use, and waste. When incorporated into regular laboratory practices and in early stages of process design, these tools help drive greener decision-making which ultimately reduces the burden of chemical products and processes on the planet.
Share Your Resources
GCS is a by-the-community, for-the-community resource hub. Do you have tools, resources, or research that draw the connection between chemistry and climate change? Create a profile and use the Submissions page to upload and share your content. Raise the visibility of your work, demonstrate thought leadership, find collaborations, and empower others to tackle today’s environmental challenges!