NEW DELHI: Google celebrated the 80th birthday of Dr. Mario Molinaa Mexican chemist who was the first to convince governments to unite to save the planet’s ozone layer, thanks to a doodle.
Google remembered him as a co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and one of the researchers who revealed how chemicals deplete the Earth’s ozone shield, which is vital for protecting humans, plants and wildlife from harmful ultraviolet rays.
Dr. Molina was born on this day in 1943 in Mexico City. As a child, he was so passionate about science that he turned his bathroom into a makeshift laboratory. Nothing could compare to the joy of watching tiny organisms glide across his toy microscope.
Dr. Molina went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a higher degree from the University University of Friborg in Germany. After completing his studies, he moved to the United States to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, and later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In the early 1970s, Dr. Molina began studying the impact of synthetic chemicals on the Earth’s atmosphere. He was one of the first to discover that chlorofluorocarbons (a chemical found in air conditioners, aerosols, etc.) break down ozone and cause ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth’s surface. He and his co-researchers published their findings in the journal Nature, which later won them the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
The groundbreaking research became the foundation of the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty that succeeded in banning the production of nearly 100 ozone-depleting chemicals. This international alliance is considered one of the most important environmental treaties ever concluded – a precedent that shows that governments can work together effectively to fight climate change.
Dr. Molina is remembered for his critical scientific discoveries for which the planet’s ozone layer is on course to fully recover over the next few decades. THE Mario Molina Centera leading research institute in Mexico, continues its work to create a more sustainable world.
Google remembered him as a co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and one of the researchers who revealed how chemicals deplete the Earth’s ozone shield, which is vital for protecting humans, plants and wildlife from harmful ultraviolet rays.
Dr. Molina was born on this day in 1943 in Mexico City. As a child, he was so passionate about science that he turned his bathroom into a makeshift laboratory. Nothing could compare to the joy of watching tiny organisms glide across his toy microscope.
Dr. Molina went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a higher degree from the University University of Friborg in Germany. After completing his studies, he moved to the United States to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, and later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In the early 1970s, Dr. Molina began studying the impact of synthetic chemicals on the Earth’s atmosphere. He was one of the first to discover that chlorofluorocarbons (a chemical found in air conditioners, aerosols, etc.) break down ozone and cause ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth’s surface. He and his co-researchers published their findings in the journal Nature, which later won them the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
The groundbreaking research became the foundation of the Montreal Protocol, an international treaty that succeeded in banning the production of nearly 100 ozone-depleting chemicals. This international alliance is considered one of the most important environmental treaties ever concluded – a precedent that shows that governments can work together effectively to fight climate change.
Dr. Molina is remembered for his critical scientific discoveries for which the planet’s ozone layer is on course to fully recover over the next few decades. THE Mario Molina Centera leading research institute in Mexico, continues its work to create a more sustainable world.
