Mario J. Molina
He was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for his role in elucidating the threat to the Earth's ozone layer from CFCs.
Most quoted
"Scientists can and should play a very important role in communicating to the public and to policy makers the risks and the opportunities associated with climate change."
— from Interview with The Nobel Prize organization, 2013
"Our work shows that these compounds are not inert, as was previously thought, but rather that they can have a significant impact on the Earth's protective ozone layer."
— from Stratospheric sink for chlorofluoromethanes: chlorine atom-catalyzed destruction of ozone, 1974
"The beauty of science lies in its ability to unravel the mysteries of nature, to reveal the intricate dance of atoms and molecules that govern our existence."
— from Various interviews and speeches
All quotes by Mario J. Molina (402)
The scientific community has a responsibility to provide clear and actionable information.
My hope is that future generations will live on a healthy and sustainable planet.
The power of international cooperation is immense when facing global challenges.
We must not let political divisions hinder our efforts to protect the environment.
It's about understanding the fundamental processes that govern our world.
The responsibility to act rests with all of us.
We need to think creatively about solutions to complex environmental problems.
Sometimes, the most profound discoveries come from asking the simplest, and seemingly most naive, questions.
If you want to understand the atmosphere, don't just look up; look at what we're putting into it.
The chemistry of the stratosphere is far more interesting when you realize we're messing with it.
People often ask me if I'm worried about the ozone layer. I tell them I'm more worried about people not worrying about it.
It's a bit like discovering you've been slowly deflating your own life raft, and then wondering why it's getting harder to float.
The beauty of science is that it doesn't care about your opinions, only your evidence.
We didn't set out to destroy the ozone layer; we just did it as a side effect of making things cold and foamy.
Some problems are so complex, you need a Nobel Prize to explain them, and then another one to convince people to do something about them.
The atmosphere is a very thin skin around our planet. We treat it like an infinite garbage dump at our peril.
If you think chemistry is boring, you haven't looked at what it can do to the planet.
The good news is we found the problem. The bad news is we caused it.
It's not rocket science, but it is atmospheric chemistry, which can be just as complicated, and arguably more important for daily life.
Denying climate change is like denying gravity. You can do it, but it won't end well for you.
Contemporaries of Mario J. Molina
Other Chemistrys born within 50 years of Mario J. Molina (1943–2020).