Unconventional oil and gas extraction transformed the US energy landscape and disrupted global energy markets. This expansion occurred amidst great uncertainty regarding the impact on local and national water resources, as well as global climate forcing via fugitive methane emissions. In this talk, I will present an argument for why we can expect fossil energy extraction to remain part of the US energy grid, what impacts on water resources are demonstrated and absent, and how improvements can be made to protect ecological and public health and reduce the contribution of fossil energy extraction to global warming. I will emphasize the importance of high-throughput chemical discovery, large database synthesis, and coupled sustainable innovation to identify and respond to emergent environmental concerns at a pace that enables environmental chemists to serve a critical role in protecting ecological and human health while fostering robust and sustainable innovation in a rapidly changing world.

Fossil energy in a modern world: Managing impacts on water and climate from domestic energy extraction

ACS Fall 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.