what role does chemistry play in the preservation of our environment?

Troy Monsivais: By developing environmentally friendly ways to do things, and to clean up the mess from past actions. Those actions will grow our economy and make the world cleaner. Another way is to eat soybean products instead of meat, which will reduce the amount of soybeans planted. Why? Because turning soy protein into animal protein means much more soy protein is needed to feed someone on animal protein grown with soy meal, etc. Still another way to help is to join a group that buys or legally protects rainforests. You can also urge your government to protect rainforests, which are far more valuable than damaged land after a few years of grazing or quick farming. The forest contains more nutrients by far than the soil in most rainforest areas. Also the forest creates more rain by releasing moisture as trees and other plants live and grow. SO if a nation doesn't want to turn its rainforests into scrublands or worse, it's vital to protect rainforests. Another thing we! all can do is support country of origin labeling and certification of food products. Soy grown in areas cleared of rainforest is mostly not genetically modified )non GMO) so without certification we can't know if we are actually supporting a harmful practice in buying non-GMO products....Show more

Abraham Ladick: Chemistry can determine what factors are affecting the water, soil and air. It works a bit like forensic science on a body - autopsy (identify the culprit and how it did the crime), determine the effect the killing of the subject has on others, provide the evidence to government or interest groups. Through chemistry we can discover the properties of individual elements of the environment, how they react to change and how these reactions affect the other elements. We can also determine methods to reverse undesirable reactions and thus preserve our environment....Show more