TASTE—IT’S THE STRUCTURE THAT COUNTS

Why do certain substances taste sweet, sour, bitter, or salty? Of course, it has to do with the taste buds on our tongues. But how do these taste buds work? For example, why does sugar taste sweet to us? The answer to this question remains elusive, but it does seem clear that sweet taste depends on how certain molecules fit the “sweet receptors” in our taste buds.

PROTECTING THE OZONE

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are ideal compounds for refrigerators and air conditioners because they are nontoxic and noncorrosive. However, the chemical inertness of these substances, once thought to be their major virtue, turns out to be their fatal flaw. When these compounds leak into the atmosphere, as they inevitably do, they are so unreactive they persist there for decades. Eventually these CFCs reach altitudes where ultraviolet light causes them to decompose, producing chlorine atoms that promote the destruction of the ozone in the stratosphere (see discussion above). Because of this problem, the world’s industrialized nations have signed an agreement (called the Montreal Protocol) that banned CFCs in 1996 (with a 10-year grace period for developing nations). So we must find substitutes for the CFCs—and fast.

SCHOOL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY SAFETY GUIDE

Recognition of laboratory safety and health problems has crystallized since the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. This Act requires that certain precautions be observed to protect the safety and health of employees on the job. The employee designation includes all teachers employed by private and public school systems in States that have occupational safety and health plans accepted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). OSHA rules and regulations are provided to protect the employees and the facilities.

GUM THAT FOAMS

Mad Dawg chewing gum is a practical joker’s dream come true. It is noticeably sour when someone first starts to chew it, but the big surprise comes about ten chews later when brightly colored foam oozes from the person’s mouth. Although the effect is dramatic, the cause is simple acid–base chemistry.

The foam consists of sugar and saliva churned into a bubbling mess by carbon dioxide released from the gum. The carbon dioxide is formed when sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) present in the gum is mixed with citric acid and malic acid (also present in the gum) in the moist environment of the mouth. As NaHCO₃ dissolves in the water of the saliva, it separates into its ions:

NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL

Our society does not have an impressive record for safe disposal of industrial wastes. We have polluted our water and air, and some land areas have become virtually uninhabitable because of the improper burial of chemical wastes. As a result, many people are wary about the radioactive wastes from nuclear reactors. The potential threats of cancer and genetic mutations make these materials especially frightening.

Because of its controversial nature, most of the nuclear waste generated over the past 50 years has been placed in temporary storage. However, in 1982 the U.S. Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, which established a timetable for choosing and preparing sites for the deep underground disposal of radioactive materials.

BEST PRACTICES OF PEATLAND MANAGEMENT

BEST PRACTICES OF PEATLAND MANAGEMENT

Indonesia’s peatlands have been utilized since the end of 19th Century. Prior to 1920, Dayak rural communities in South Kalimantan have begun to manage shallow peatlands in the area behind the river bank (back swamp) which they call the lawau and manage it for rain-fed rice fields (Suwardi et al., 2005). The river area is a fertile area because it is influenced by sediment runoff from rivers. Basically Dayak people are very environmentally friendly. In managing the land, they have a rotating farming system that always maintains a balance with the utilization process following a natural cycle (Suwardi et al., 2005). They divide the lands into zones comprising settlement, bushes, harvested paddy field (jurungan), dry paddy field (pahumaan), plantations, sacred zones, and protected zones (kayuan). Sacred zones are customary protected zones that should not be cleared for agricultural land. When the agricultural land has become infertile, they will move to look for similar land in other places. After being left for 1-7 years the former fields will become bush and after 7-12 years the bush will become a forest. They will reopen the former field after 30 years, when it has become a forest again. This is done continuously and sustainably.

PEATLAND RESTORATION AGENCY: A SMART WAY TO OBTAIN A QUICK WIN

The Jokowi Administration have seen that improving forest and land governance may take times. Thus, it needs an acceleration and simultaneous actions to have results in a relatively short period. In terms of fire prevention strategy, the Government of Indonesia then established Peatland Restoration Agency (Badan Restorasi Gambut/BRG) in January 2016, after the big fire incident of 2015. The Agency is tasked to rehabilitate 2 million hectares by 2019, and the current program is to carry out 2.49 million hectares restoration, which include 1.1 million ha to be performed by the Government and partners, while 1.39 million hectares by relevant private companies. This agency focuses on rehabilitating and restoring heavily degraded peatlands in fire-prone areas. Thus, this agency supports the grand strategy for peatland management developed by Directorate of Peatland Degradation Control, Directorate General for Pollutant and Environmental Degradation Control, Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

PEATLAND MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS)

The ultimate goal of the sustainable development goals is to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Hence, managing peatlands should also comply with the goals. However, managing peatlands to provide livelihoods for local communities as well as to conduct intensive agriculture and forestry may contradict with the protection of the environment. The options are whether peatlands should be drained or to be sustainably managed.

MANAGING PEATLANDS, TO COPE WITH CLIMATE CHANGE: INDONESIA’S EXPERIENCES

Indonesia has over 15 million ha of peatlands, which is over 12% of its forest land spreading across islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua. This is the largest tropical peat land in the world, followed by Democratic Republic of Congo, with the peatland area reaches 9 million ha, and the Republic of Congo with the area reaches about 5.5 million ha (Miles et al., 2017).

Peatland can be defined as soil formed from the accumulation of organic matters such as the remnants of plant tissue that lasted for a long time (Kelompok Kerja Pengelolaan Lahan Gambut Nasional, 2006). According to Government Regulation (GR) No. 71 of 2014 that has been amended by GR No. 57 of 2016 on the Protection and Management of Peat Ecosystem, peatland is defined as a naturally occurring organic material of plant residues that decomposes imperfectly and accumulates in swamps. Furthermore, the regulation also defines peat ecosystem as the order of peatland components that forms an integrated system affecting one another and forming a balance, stability, and productivity.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR MANAGING PEATLAND

As indicated in the previous section, Indonesia does not only work by itself to mitigate problems in relation to peat management and peat fires. We also communicate and collaborate with other countries and international agencies to stop peat degradation and prevent peat fires. In the Southeast Asia Region, as the ASEAN member, Indonesia has ratified the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Hazard Pollution (AATHP) through Law No. 26 of 2014 on AATHP Endorsement, dated 14 October 2014. AATHP aims to prevent and control cross-border smoke pollution as a result of land and/or forest fires particularly in peatlands that must be implemented through intensive national, regional and international efforts based on commitment, a spirit of partnership, and a tradition of solidarity to achieve peace, progress and prosperity among ASEAN countries.