Chemical science has done much in the previous century to benefit humans - from creating new drugs, creating exciting new materials and discovering the basis of life. But as Spiderman says, with great power comes great responsibility. And the biggest responsibility is to protect the environment.
We've heard scientists telling us that global warming is causing the ice in Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean to melt. Did you know that these ice sheets hold some secret stories in them? It's the story of how our earth's atmosphere changed over many millions of years!
In 1987, countries around the world agreed upon the Montreal Protocol, a treaty to eliminate chemicals which deplete the ozone layer. Frank Rowland and Mario Molino deserve the credit for this, for they showed exactly how CFCs destroy ozone.
While the role of CFCs in depleting the ozone layer is well-known, there are many other gases that deplete ozone and act as greenhouse gases. The role of these gases was explained by Paul Crutzen, who got the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995.