Robert Kandel

A lire en complément de son ouvrage de vulgarisation, Turning the Tide on Climate change, à lire au moins sur http://sendit.cefic.org/DMZ/DownLoad.aspx?UID=e4a3fb41-082a-452b-8fc3-1fe70bef6ff5

Since some years now, the message has spread and there is a general awareness of the danger represented by global warming. However, in today’s world of more than 6 billion people, the need to act to reduce our emissions cannot mean going “back to nature”. There are other ways and we must use our ingenuity. How we act individually in our everyday life will be part of the solution. Nevertheless, alone we will not be able to do much. Innovative solutions must be found in all sectors of the economy and industry. In that respect, the example of chemical industry is relevant. It is an industry with strong research and development capacities that is able to provide innovative solutions allowing significant CO2 savings and to make them available to all other sectors.

For this reason, I gladly welcomed the proposal of CEFIC when they asked me to write a didactic book on climate change and to present the contribution of chemistry. Presenting the main results of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) report in a clear and accessible way was challenging. This report, with its results validated by the Öko Institut, brings new elements to the debate. Focussing on the Carbon Life Cycle, it is a new contribution that puts figures on possible scenarios of CO2 emissions reduction, an important step towards sound policy decisions.

This is not just another book on climate change. It was an interesting piece of work to write and to compile new data. The collaboration of CEFIC, mediated by ESTIUM-CONCEPT, was stimulating, bringing new points of view and new ideas. The layout, the graphics and pictures made by ESTIUM-CONCEPT really ease the reading. I am proud of the result, which is very different from other classical scientific books.

(by Robert Kandel)