A look ahead at the issues that will affect—and connect—chemists and chemistry across the globe. Expect to see companies and regulators return their focus to environmental issues such as plastics recycling, climate change, persistent pollutants, and clean energy.
According to a scientific report issued Tuesday, the plastics we commonly use contain and leach hazardous chemicals, including some that threaten human health, especially the body's endocrine system.
Plastic bags and flexible packaging are the deadliest plastic items in the ocean, killing wildlife including whales, dolphins, turtles and seabirds around the globe, according to a review of hundreds of scientific articles.
The UK's largest supermarket removes more than 20m pieces of single-use plastic from its Christmas range this year – including crackers, lights, cards and the packaging for puddings – as part of a national drive to reduce plastic pollution.
Russia's powerful petroleum industry feels a mounting pressure from alternative energy sources, and strong voices now say the country's vast natural gas resources in the Arctic should be used in petrochemical production.
As the US turns the page on a skeptical and openly hostile administration, environmental science and journalism face continued obstacles—but there is some optimism.
The Gulf of Mexico is littered with tens of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells, and toothless regulation leaves climate warming gas emissions unchecked.
