Chemicals, Central to the Key Challenges in Global Water Management - Part 1

As Year 2011 begins – with the best of wishes to you from everyone at the LNA Team – water governance is emerging more than ever as a crucial geostrategic issue. The chemicals industry, which is a source of both major problems and innovative solutions, is expected to a play a predominant part.

> Global consensus on the increasingly-critical situation in China:

- The conclusion regarding the state of hydric resources in China – “the world’s factory and grainstore”, both on quantity and on quality, is one of alarm, in the NGOs, the scientific community, the national authorities and the international community. 

 

The Internet and Chemicals News

The phenomenal rise of the Internet has brought about major changes in how news spreads, with a notable impact on Chemicals.

Economic restrictions are no more

In the past, peer review and the like were the main source of information in the Chemicals industry. With profitability an imperative and thus high media ratings as well, it was less likely to see extremely-specialised information be published. The result was a sector with only a small number of specialised publications, issued most often monthly or, at best, weekly.

With the Internet and its business model, the deal has changed fundamentally: the cost of publishing and spreading information has become marginal and thus done away with the audience imperative. Any subject, no matter how specialised it is, can now be taken up without requiring any substantial financial outlay from the author.

2011: Chemistry the Successor to Biodiversity

We turn the page on 2010, Year of Biodiversity – which, for the first time, stirred extraordinary international mobilisation on the topic – and head into The Year of Chemistry.

An odd transition, as the two topics would initially appear to be quite the odd couple.

Whether it be the unprecedented oil rig accident, the ban on Biphenyl A in baby’s bottles in Canada, or the Toxic Substances Control Act newly-revised in the United States, the chemicals industry does not enjoy the greatest press.

Yet it is thanks to that very industry that anti-cancer treatment is becoming more and more pinpointed each day, that SmartPhones become more powerful and that even cement is becoming “smart”.

In the year ahead, our team of analysts from the Life Sciences Division would like to share some of its everyday with you, by tracking a number of topics considered strategic by many of our clients, whose business depends on Chemicals – topics obviously cross-cutting enough to be addressed on this blog.

Over the course of the year, we will share with you how the Web sites produced by universities as far and wide as America or China can prove to be outstanding sources for technological watch, how Internet users can influence the reputation of a pharmaceutical speciality, or which countries’ lobbying impacts all of European policy where chemical substances bans are concerned.

See you very soon!

Claire MAURICE

Life Sciences Expert