Question: does your job have any enviromental impact?

Andrew Cairns answered on 15 Nov 2011:

Chemistry is by definition quite an environmentally challenging subject – we are constantly using a lot of energy in fume extraction (each laboratory has 8 fumehoods that you might have in school), lights, heat etc. On top of that we use chemicals that are dangerous to the environment, although there are very very strict regulations about how we use and dispose of these and we take our responsibility very seriously indeed.

On the positive side, chemistry is working constantly to develop new, more efficient, cleaner and greener technologies that will help industries, cars and planes become more efficient in the future. So yes, we do have a big impact, but what we work on will in the future help to massively reduce our carbon footprint as a society. One example of this is the development of hydrogen as a fuel source where huge advances have been made because of chemical research.