View article

The chemical industry is at a crossroads, write Tickner, Geiser, and Baima in this issue, noting its historical role in planetary crises, including climate change, toxic pollution, and plastic waste. They assess that achieving the urgently needed changes to meet sustainability goals–circularity writ large, including a move away from “forever” chemicals (Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl [PFAS]) and fossil fuel feedstocks–will require a level of persistent effort akin to that prompted in the 1940s in the context of a world war. Synthetic chemicals were widely developed and used in the United States and elsewhere during the industry boom years after World War II for pest and disease control, crop production, and industrial production. Since the discovery of unforeseen effects on human health and the environment in a subset of them, developed nations generally took some action to control their use. Many developing nations have only …