WhatWeDo: perspectives

2020 September 7: Towards material circularity: case studies of aluminium, plastics and textiles: This Perspective highlights a paper from IOCD's action group, C4S, which discusses the role of the chemical sciences in sustainability and illustrates the use of the Systems-Oriented Concept Map Extension (SOCME) tool in three case studies that explore the sustainability of production, use and disposal of aluminium, plastics and textiles.
2020 September 7: International Day of Clean Air for blue skies: IOCD's group Chemists for Sustainability highlights the significance of this new UN Day, which is celebrated for the first time in 2020.
2020 May 22: Sustainability and chemistry: With the world facing a range of massive environmental challenges, planetary boundaries being exceeded and tipping points approached, achieving sustainability has emerged as one of the most important goals of the 21st Century and is the central focus of IOCD's action group, C4S. This Perspective examines the evolution of the concept of sustainability and considers how the repositioning of chemistry can strengthen its contributions as a sustainability science.
2020 May 22: Science, society and policy: A trivalent vaccine for uncertain times: IOCD's action group, C4S, highlights the critical importance of a well-functioning relationship between science, society and policy as the best protection against threats posed by oncoming global challenges.
2020 April 22: Earth Day 2020: Listen to the science: IOCD scientists Henning Hopf and Stephen Matlin reflect on the significance of the 50^th Earth Day, which focuses on climate action. They consider this event in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and the critical role of science in combatting such global crises.
2020 March 8: International Women's Day 2020: An equal world is an enabled world — in science, too: Stephen Matlin comments on the significance of the International Women's Day 2020 theme and the effort that still needs to be made to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in science. He highlights the work of IOCD's group Chemists for Sustainability to promote EDI in the chemical sciences.
2020 March 5: Systems thinking in chemistry: A key competency for a sustainable future: IOCD's group Chemists for Sustainability (C4S) proposed in 2016 that chemistry should adopt systems thinking (ST) as a crucial component of reforms needed to revitalise the discipline and to strengthen its capacity to contribute to sustainable development. In this Perspective Stephen Matlin summarises work of the C4S group and the progress being made in incorporating ST in the chemical sciences.
2020 March 1: Hype and hypocrisy: The slippery slope to falsification and fakery in science: Hype is becoming increasingly common in the publicity surrounding scientific work, in the claims made for the significance of findings reported in the scientific literature and in the speculations about potential ‘impact’ that are encouraged in grant applications. The Chemists for Sustainability (C4S) action group in IOCD has drawn attention to the dangers this poses — as a first step down the slippery slope that leads from hype and hypocrisy to falsification and fakery. The Perspective by Stephen Matlin highlights recent work by C4S on this topic.
2020 March 1: Chemistry and the end of waste: Towards sustainability in a post-trash age: Stephen Matlin highlights recent and ongoing work by IOCD's group Chemists for Sustainability on the need to reduce waste in all its forms and the roles that the chemical sciences need to play in achieving a post-trash world.
2020 February 28: The 2020s: A critical decade for sustainability: Decisions taken and actions executed by governments, organizations, industries and people everywhere, in relation to reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals and addressing an unfolding set of planetary environmental crises and emergencies, will have profound effects on the lives of individuals and the conditions in the planetary environment, both in the immediate term and for a very long time ahead. Science has immense capacities to help meet these challenges — and to do so it needs to make its best efforts to deliver evidence, advice and products, but also to engage effectively with society and policy makers to ensure that sound pathways are chosen towards sustainable development and the sustainability of the planetary environment. The Perspective by Stephen Matlin highlights work by IOCD's group Chemists for Sustainability to examine and promote the roles that the chemical sciences must play in shaping a sustainable future.
2019 August 2: The planetary climate and environment crisis: It's time for emergency action: Stephen Matlin reflects on the launch of the Manifesto to Secure a Healthy Planet for All — A Call for Emergency Action by the InterAction Council, its significance in the context of the growing planetary climate and environmental crisis, and IOCD's work to enhance the role of the chemical sciences in sustainable development.
2019 June 25: Thomas Eisner, chemical ecology and the sustainable development of natural products: Stephen Matlin celebrates the contributions of Thomas Eisner, born 25 June 1929, as the ‘father of chemical ecology’ and an ardent promoter of biodiversity conservation, the value of which could be demonstrated through ‘chemical prospecting’. He highlights the linkages to IOCD's previous and continuing work on the role of the chemical sciences in sustainable development.
2019 June 5: World Environment Day and the role of chemistry for sustainability: IOCD's action group 'Chemists for Sustainability' reflects on the significance of World Environment Day, 5 June 2019, the urgency of action to reduce the impacts of human activity on the planetary environment and the role that chemistry must play in achieving a sustainable future.
2019 May 15: Earth emergency: Systems thinking, chemistry education and sustainability: Stephen Matlin highlights a new publication in Nature Sustainability from a project of IUPAC, supported by IOCD, which discusses the introduction of systems thinking into education and demonstrates the use of a new visualisation tool, the Systems-Oriented Concept Map Extension (SOCME).
2019 April 21: Earth Day and the role of chemistry in sustainable development: Stephen Matlin reflects on the central role that chemistry must play in sustainable development.
2019 February 7: Encouraging women and girls in science: Vivian Yam writes about the importance of encouraging women and girls in science and of celebrating their successes – not only on special event days, but throughout the year.
2019 January 28: It's time to fix the inequality problem in science: Stephen Matlin highlights the barriers and discrimination that women continue to meet at all levels of science, the need to address the challenges in equity, diversity and inclusion in science and the valuable role that can be played by training in cultural competence.

Perspectives