Dear Mario Molina: We'll Lead by Example

What an inspiration you are to everyone. We already miss you

If there's one thing you taught us, it's to be responsible for our actions.

You left a legacy of scientific discoveries when you won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995. Along with Paul Crutzen and Sherwood Roland, it was a fact that the ozone layer was being affected thanks to the artificial chemicals we emitted into the atmosphere.

Nobody wanted to do anything or face the fact that this had to stop.

Chemical compounds known as CFCs were found in products such as aerosols, solvents and refrigerants. The industry was against reducing the use of these products and they did not allow them to stop being produced.

In large quantities and worldwide, CFCs were destroying the ozone layer, putting us all at risk.

But you didn't stop. You didn't give up. As you said, scientific evidence is not enough to confront and convince industries to stop using CFCs.

You also said that scientists are not known for their communication abilities. Sometimes it takes too long to convince all sectors of society that science is telling us that we need to change and act accordingly.

But your civil duty, passion and human compassion led you to the creation of what is now known as The Montreal Protocol. One of the most important international treaties in which countries committed themselves globally to banning the use of CFCs.

And guess what? The mission isn't over yet. What did the industry do to adapt to not using CFCs? They found a replacement: HFCs, which today are found in the same products: solvents, aerosols and refrigerants.

Thanks to the Montreal Protocol, through the Kigali Amendment in 2016, all parties decided to stop using HFCs. Why? As it turned out, HFCs created a collateral problem: HFCs have a high global warming potential as greenhouse gases, meaning they contribute to the climate crisis.

So no, we promise you Mario Molina, we won't give up. We can't. We must keep fighting.

We will lead by example.

You did so much for this world! You were still active and working on issues such as air quality, climate change and health policies at 77 years of age. You never stopped.

Some key parts to remember are:

1. You were a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the United States Institute of Medicine

2. You were part of President Bill Clinton's Council of Science and Technology Advisors and later President Barack Obama.

3. He was also a distinguished member of the Vatican Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the National College, the Mexican Academy of Sciences and the Mexican Academy of Engineering.

4. You received awards including more than 40 Honorary Doctorates, the Tyler Prize for Energy and Ecology in 1983, the Sasakawa Prize of the United Nations in 1999, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995, the Champions of the Earth Award awarded by the United Nations, and he is the first Mexican to receive the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom.

But most importantly, your feet were on the ground. You were human. You dedicated your life to science and to communicating to society that it needed to take action.

And you yourself said it so many times: “Scientists can explain problems that affect the environment, but solving them is not the responsibility of scientists, it is the responsibility of society as a whole”.

So as citizens and individuals, what are we doing?

Are we careless and brainless consumers? Are we critical? Do we raise our voices and demand respect for human rights and a sustainable future?

We promise you that we will take into account what scientists warn us about and that is, that the climate crisis needs more than international treaties.

This time, all sectors in society have to change. A new social contract is being formed and we must be part of this paradigm shift.

We promise that we will demand the reduction of greenhouse gases, but we also promise that we will take into account our individual actions.

Dear Mario Molina, we thank you for your strength, kindness and willpower.

We will not let you down.

By Monica Lafon who worked at the Mario Molina Center. He earned his bachelor's degree in worked at the Mario Molina Center. He obtained his degree in Journalism and Political Science from Concordia University and his master's degree in Environmental Policy from Sciences Po Paris.

Fuentes

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1995. Mario Molina Biographical. Nobel Prize. 2020 https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1995/molina/biographical/

Mario Molina Center. Condolences Press Release. http://centromariomolina.org/comunicado-dr-molina/

Montreal Protocol. UNEP. https://ozone.unep.org/treaties/montreal-protocol