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)
We're not just studying the atmosphere; we're studying our own impact on it. It's a rather self-referential field.
The biggest challenge isn't the science; it's convincing people to act on it.
Sometimes, the most dangerous chemicals are the ones we think are harmless.
We've managed to put a hole in the sky. That's quite an achievement, wouldn't you say?
The atmosphere is a global commons. Unfortunately, not everyone understands what 'commons' means.
It's a testament to human ingenuity that we can both create a problem of this magnitude and then figure out how to fix it.
The ozone layer is like the Earth's sunscreen. We were just busy poking holes in it.
When you're dealing with global problems, you realize how small national borders truly are.
We didn't need a crystal ball to see this coming; we just needed a mass spectrometer.
The good news is the planet will survive. The question is, will we?
It's a rather elegant chemical reaction, if you ignore the catastrophic consequences.
The atmosphere is a complex system, and we're just the clumsy children playing with the controls.
Some people think science is about certainty. I think it's about reducing uncertainty, one experiment at a time.
The biggest experiment we're running is on ourselves, and the results are coming in.
It's amazing what you can discover when you're not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom.
We're not just predicting the future; we're trying to prevent a very undesirable one.
The atmosphere doesn't negotiate. It just responds to what we do.
It's a bit like finding out your favorite hairspray is also dissolving the roof over your head.
The scientific community can be slow, but the atmosphere is even slower to forgive.
We're all in this together, whether we like it or not, because the atmosphere doesn't have passports.
Contemporaries of Mario J. Molina
Other Chemistrys born within 50 years of Mario J. Molina (1943–2020).