SCI's Head of Innovation, David Bott comments on yesterday's IPCC report on climate change.
The report uses precise language, shaded with levels of certainty, but is unambiguous that man-made greenhouse gases (specifically carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) are responsible for the change in climate - the increased average temperature, and the more extreme weather that goes with it.
This is primarily caused by the extraction and use of fossil carbon deposits, which are either burned as fuels, or used as feedstock for carbon based chemicals or as reduction agents in the processing of ores into metals.
It may be too late to avoid some aspects of the climate catastrophe that is widely predicted but there must be urgent action to mitigate the use of fossil carbon - not just as fuel but as a feedstock for industry.
The Chemistry Council set out a plan to tackle their part of this responsibility 2 years ago and are acting as organisations and as a sector within the UK.
SCI is part of these actions, supporting specific projects to ensure that these changes do not compromise the way chemicals and materials contribute to health, well-being, food supply and communications.
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