CEO MONTHLY / AUGUST 2017 23 sustainable development is primordial. However, scientists and engineers are not properly recognized for their important contribution in the society. They need to be better recognized at a society-wide level for the crucial work they do in terms of sustainability.” FLOGEN Star Outreach, a not- for-profit corporation, founded and chaired by Dr. Florian Kongoli, pioneered this work about 15 years ago, and is continuously working towards this vision with their yearly summits held around the world. Name: Dr. Florian Kongoli Email:
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[email protected] Web Address: www.flogen.com and www.flogen.org Physical Addresses: 1255 LAIRD BLVD Suite 388, Mont-Royal, QC, Canada, H3P 2T1 3422 Old Capitol Trail, No. 791, Wilmington, DE, USA,19808 Tel. (Canada): +1 514 344-8786 ext. 220 Tel: (USA): +1-302-319-5575 ext. 220 Mobile: (Canada/USA) +1-514-999-4979 Mobile (UK): + 44 741 843 9851 Achieving Sustainability through Science and Technology g FLOGEN Technologies Inc. ® Pictured from left to right: 2011 Nobel Laureate Prof. Dan Shechtman, UK Lord John Prescott, Dr. Florian Kongoli, 2010 Nobel Laureate Prof. Ei-Ichi Negishi at SIPS 2015 in Antalya, Turkey the scientific community in everyday work, and many scientists consider it as a political subject rather than a scientific one. Sometimes when there are scientific inventions or technological breakthroughs, they are claimed to be sustainable only in their local field. Having said that, if they miss the big picture, they are not sustainable. “I firmly believe that scientific achievements can be used in both a positive and sustainable manner, or in a negative and non-sustainable way. For example, the dynamite invented by Alfred Nobel for the mining of minerals, was eventually also used as an explosive in wars that followed.” Due to its very nature, there are exact sciences and technology that can provide long term and sustainable solutions for climate change and global warming, Dr. Kongoli explains. He elaborates on these thoughts as he concludes this in-depth interview. “In the last half of the 20th century, it was science, technology, and their innovations that saved the world from apocalyptic and accurate predictions that resources (food and water) were depleting. Since climate change is mainly caused by carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere through the burning of oil, coke, coal, and natural gas, scientific research can develop new alternative technologies that either do not produce carbon dioxide, capture carbon dioxide and use it for beneficial purposes, or reduce the risk factors of existing carbon-free technologies, such as nuclear, to make them more suitable for society. “Science and technology make it possible to achieve all the above, and not only without sacrificing the current achievements by society in quality of life or other aspects, but they can also help in improving and developing current and future achievements. That is why science and technology should not be in the shadows as it is right now, but rather it should gain its prime role among other disciplines; finding and applying scientific and new technological solutions to effectively solve the issues of sustainability and climate change is certainly the right way to go. “Politics can be used in a positive sustainable or negative non-sustainable way. It can force the use of the sustainable inventions of science of technology in a wrong and non-sustainable way, as it did with dynamite. That is why, in a FLOGEN summit, Lord Prescott mentioned that the most useful role of politics, is to determine the best legal frameworks for the development and use of scientific inventions in the right capacities. “I have consistently and strongly advocated that the winning formula for succeeding and achieving sustainability, is fostering close cooperation between science, technology and engineering, politics, economy, and society, and leaving no one behind. A close and strong cooperation would ensure generous investments in financial resources from the economic sector, as well as human resources from the political sector in scientific and technology research. This would help us find the best short and long-term solution to the sustainability issues we face today. “Every individual and every profession is important in this world, but a specific order of actions and priorities needs to be followed in order to be successful, and this starts with science and technology. The technology has the first and last word. As such, generous financial and human investments in scientific research and technology, is the best short and long term solution to the sustainability issues we face today. “As seen above, the role of science and technology in