12-23-09: Anti-Fossil Fuel and Anti-Synthetic Chemicals

Man, since its brain started developing and it became a bipedal animal, needed energy to do various kinds of work for the benefit of itself and for the benefit of the community. To go for hunting, man needed sufficient energy in the form of food to pursue and kill animals for food. The food he took was burnt inside him to produce energy for his movement, work and even all kinds of leisure. When man started using the field to cultivate various kinds of food plants it needed some energy source to plow and till the land. For that purpose Ox, Buffalo and Horses were utilized. These animals were reared and in an adequate manner provided sufficient food so that they can be utilized to pull the plowshare. Gradually man started developing various forms of its interests to increase the basic economic structure. Development most likely started about 10,000 years ago. When various kinds of energy giving material, whether living or non-living were utilized, such development was slow. Largely man was in accord with the natural developments and those animals used for producing animals were killed only after they became useless for the purpose. However the relationship between man and nature was in an even keel: man was not in a position to disturb the ecosystem, climate, environment in which they lived and reproduced. This benign relationship was maintained for thousands of years in spite of the fact that man gradually started utilizing ores of various kinds for developmental purposes. To melt the iron ore e.g. first wood and then newly discovered coal was utilized. However such kind of activity was of a limited kind. Large tracts of forest lands were not disturbed in a big manner.

This condition remained for thousands of years. Man who has spread from East Africa and migrated to various continents was happily engaged with their environment. In ancient Mesopotamia there were a number of wells which burnt day and night. These wells contained crude oil, petrified forest remains, which released hydrocarbons and related organic material. Nobody bothered to use crude oil from these burning wells for human purposes. As a matter of fact these wells were regarded as some kind of divine manifestation. However developmental work went on throughout the world for energy purposes. Wood obtained from forestry was utilized for energy purposes. In 18th century James Watt discovered the potential of steam as a source of energy. This was the initiation of the great industrial revolution which within a half century or so spread throughout the world. Machines run by energy produced from steam were utilized for cloth manufacturing and for other utilizable items. Steam engine was invented. These steam engines were fed with coal to produce steam for the movement of the engine. Similarly steam ships were invented. Though sailors all over the world were using ships and boats to navigate waters, steam engine revolutionized the navigational activity.

Only in late 19th century oil wells were discovered, first in the United States, and soon it became the main source of energy in the sense that oil wells started producing petroleum which gave rise to cars etc. Before the discovery of petroleum as a source of energy coal was being utilized throughout the world for all energy purposes. These too together, petroleum and coal are fossil fuels. These are called fossil fuels because that is buried animal and plant materials which were converted into coal and petroleum, fossil are the source of these fuels.

Sooner than later, fossil fuel inundated the known world. Coal, of course was in use much before petroleum. Coal was used not only for domestic purposes but also in factories to produce energy. Still all over the world coal is being utilized to energize turbines to produce electricity. Electricity has become the main source of energy for running and using all kinds of instruments, warming and cooling houses and illuminating roadside lamps. Petroleum has primarily turned into the energy source for running the automobiles, railway carriages etc. Fossil fuel when used-being mainly the hydrocarbon-release carbon di-oxide in the atmosphere. Million and million tons of carbon di-oxide is being pumped into the atmosphere daily by humans by burning fossil fuel. For example in the US many millions of cars are running on the roads all the time. Estimates are that it is simply impossible for the planet Earth to convert it to a harmless entity. Such indiscriminate use of fossil fuel has resulted in a vast increase in global warming. Temperature of the earth is gradually rising and producing harmful effects. Glaciers, snow caps of the mountains, polar icebergs are all melting in a rapid pace.

There would be many catastrophic effects. The sea level has started not only getting warmer but rising as well. This would, after few decades, simply inundate all the off shore lands of the earth. Large part of the Bangladesh, south pacific islands, Greenland, Florida and innumerable sea ports would go under the sea. Glacier on the Himalayas would start melting, first flooding the whole of Indo Gangetic plain; and, secondly the Ganges would simply dry up. These catastrophes will result in huge human suffering. All over the earth perhaps billion or more people would simply either starve to death or get decimated. There would be global wars between people (the so called climate refugees) just to take care of themselves and deprive others of the privilege.

The social, ethical, religious and political consequences cannot be easily comprehended. This needs a drastic effort by all the countries and all the people in a collective manner. They have to take strong and stringent action to reduce the emission coming out of appliances used by humans for energy purpose using fossil fuels. It seems that, as we have only ten years to save the earth, we have to decrease the global temperature by at least 2o C. That’s why we are saying that we all should become anti fossil fuel not in the sense of totally discarding the fossil fuel but using it in highly moderate and justifiable manner. There is no reason to believe that through UN, all the world states would come to an agreement to take proper action in reducing the emission.

It was late 19th century, first in Germany largely led by Liebeg and his co workers; and, secondly, in England , largely led by Perkins and his co workers that organic chemistry took a big leap. These scientists started isolating organic compounds from living systems, plants, animals and micro organisms. These compounds were characterized and their constitution and structures were determined. A little later synthetic organic chemistry started florishing. Here, from simple organic compounds and even atoms, large complex organic compounds were constructed with precise shape and size. The era of synthetic chemicals has started in a big way.

Thousand million compounds were either isolated or constructed. And some had unique properties; some smelled nice, some had medicinal properties and some can be used for decorative purposes. In early 20th century very simple organic compounds were discovered to be polymerized into items like plastic sheets, rods, utensils etc. This was clearly a big step in producing artificial materials for common use.

Now almost anything you want to make you can make out of synthetic material. The most obnoxious example is that of plastic bags. Perhaps daily some billion bags are being made all over the world. They lie scattered around everywhere. They clog the outlets because they are not destructible; they are simply here to stay. These can be shredded into very small pieces, but that would create huge hygienic and health problems. The shredded bags can go and sit in the trachea of lungs. The shoreline of East African coast is littered with these bags.

Hence it is time to put an indiscriminate manufacture of synthetic chemicals. These are a calamitous offspring of synthetic organic chemistry. It has been quite difficult to produce such organic polymers can be degraded and destroyed by microbes. Attempts have been made in that direction but no worthwhile result is coming out. We have to stand up and raise slogans against such activities.

What we have said above is that we have to restrain ourselves in using and utilizing fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals. We are not saying that we should put a stop to their use. From day to day human activity it seems that both fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals would be required. However indiscriminate use has become a dangerous peril. If we don’t want to suffocate ourselves with such obnoxious items we have to be careful.