THE WORLD FOOD, WATER AND AIR CRISIS: HOW CAN USE OF CHEMISTRY HELP

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THE WORLD FOOD, WATER AND AIR CRISISHOW CAN USE
OF CHEMISTRY HELP?

• PRESENTATION OF SHEM O. WANDIGA PROFESSOR OF
  CHEMISTRY, UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI, AT THE CODIST-I
  CONFERENCE ON SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT, INNOVATION
  AND THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY". ADDIS ABABA,
  ETHIOPIA, 28 APRIL 1 MAY 2009

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CAUSES OF WORLD FOOD CRISIS

• Soil nutrient depletion
• Unpredictable rains pattern
• Low quality seeds vs high price quality seeds
• Low pesticides use due to cost
• Variation in oil prices
• Foods for biofuels
• Increasing demand for food (bigger population)
• Falling world stockpiles
• Speculation on commodity markets

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GLOBAL FOOD CRISES

• Food crisis in 1970 caused by
• Oil crisis
• Failed harvests
• Price volatility
• 1974 World Food Conference Resolution discouraged
  investment in agriculture
• 964 million people hungry
• Food crisis in 2008 caused by
• 975 million people hungry (roughly same number as
  1970), other elements the same as in 1970

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CAUSES OF GLOBAL WATER CRISIS

• High population demand for water
• Pollution and poor Sanitation
• Rapid urbanization in municipalities, and
  effluents from industry, agriculture and air
  deposits deteriorate Water Quality.
• Water-related diseases
• 72 of all reported cholera cases in the world in
  1998 were in Africa
• Water quality is declining in most regions,
  affecting the diversity of freshwater species and
  ecosystems.
• Declining freshwater resources (land use and
  management problems)
• Massive deforestation destroy freshwater
  wetlands.
• More than 600 lakes in Africa have shrunk
  dramatically over the past decades.
• Many urban water supply systems are losing
  30-40 of water through leakage and illegal
  extraction

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CAUSES OF GLOBAL AIR CRISIS

• High population increase and its demand for
  resources
• Poor industrial processes
• Ineffective air treatment plants
• High vehicle emissions
• Biomass Burning
• Particulate emissions

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CHEMICAL SCIENCES IS CRITICAL AND HAS CONTRIBUTED
TO

• Population management
• Lowering population increase through introduction
  of ant fertility pill for women first and now for
  men
• Synthesizing many drugs used in health based on
  natural products
• Discovering new drugs for management of
  threatening diseases such as HIV AIDS,
  tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, river
  blindness, etc.

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Improved agriculture

• Soil nutrient supplements through fertilizers
• Conservation of soil moisture through water gels
• Improvement of seed quality and preservation
• Control of targeted pest through pesticides
• Synthesis and extraction of biofuels from natural
  products

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Water Quality

• Improved purification techniques using synthetic
  membranes in reverse osmosis
• Removal of chemicals and micro-organisms through
  water treatment
• Identification and removal of trace level of
  health and environmental threatening pollutants

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AIR QUALITY

• Chemical sciences is a major contributor to air
  pollution but clean air cannot be achieved
  without application of chemical sciences
• Introduction of catalytic converters for vehicles
• Synthesis of air scrubbers and filters
• Control of photochemical smog
• Removal of toxic pollutants in air
• Introduction of cleaner syntheses-Green Chemistry

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ENERGY, HEALTH AND COMMUNICATION

• Solar cell and communication

Biotechnology already having impact on
agriculture and health
Nanotechnology with potential in energy storage
and conversion, water treatment, health
monitoring, disease diagnosis, drug delivery
systems
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Pan Africa Chemistry Network

• Promoting chemical sciences in Africa
• Convening of conferences-Sustainable Water
• Conference
• 25 28th August, 2009
• Biodiversity Conference
• 10-12th September, 2008
• University of Nairobi, College of Biological and
  Physical Sciences,
• Chiromo Campus, Nairobi, Kenya
• Holding and supporting workshops
• Supporting students and staff exchanges and
  conference participation

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• THANK YOU