The solution to plastic pollution is not less chemistry but more, greener chemistry in a circular bio-based economy.

In recent years, the production of pellets derived from forestry biomass to replace coal for electricity generation has been increasing, with over 10 million tonnes traded internationally—primarily between United States and Europe but with an increasing trend to Asia. Critical to this trade is the classification of woody biomass as ‘renewable energy’ and thus eligible for public subsidies. However, much scientific study on the net effect of this trend suggests that it is having the opposite effect to that expected of renewable energy, by increasing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide for substantial periods of time. This review, based on recent work by Europe's Academies of Science, finds that current policies are failing to recognize that removing forest carbon stocks for bioenergy leads to an initial increase in emissions. Moreover, the periods during which atmospheric CO2 levels are raised before forest regrowth can reabsorb the excess emissions are incompatible with the urgency of reducing emissions to comply with the objectives enshrined in the Paris Agreement. We consider how current policy might be reformed to reduce negative impacts on climate and argue for a more realistic science‐based assessment of the potential of forest bioenergy in substituting for fossil fuels. The length of time atmospheric concentrations of CO2 increase is highly dependent on the feedstocks and we argue for regulations to explicitly require these to be sources with short payback periods. Furthermore, we describe the current United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accounting rules which allow imported biomass to be treated as zero emissions at the point of combustion and urge their revision to remove the risk of these providing incentives to import biomass with negative climate impacts. Reforms such as these would allow the industry to evolve to methods and scales which are more compatible with the basic purpose for which it was designed.

Detailed i.r. and Raman studies are reported for [AuCI(CO)], [PtX,(CO)]-(X = CI, Br, or I), [PdX,(CO)]-, cis-[PtX,(CO),], cis-[RhX,(CO),]-(X = CI or Br), and cis-[lrCI,(CO),]-togetherwith assignments. Skeletal stretching wavenumbers are reported for cis-[PtX,(CO)(PMe,)] (X = CI, Br, or I), trans-[PtX(CO)(PMe,),]+, trans-[RhX(CO)(PMe,),] (X = CI or Br), and [RhCI,(CO)(PMe,),]. The results of 13C n.m.r. studies on the carbonyl complexes are reported together with those from l H n.m.r. and lH-{,lP} and lH-{lg5Pt) INDOR spectroscopy on the phosphine-containing complexes. The lg5Pt chemical shifts of [PtX,( CO)] -from direct measurements are reported. The results are discussed with the assistance of stretching force constants for some of the simpler complexes.WE have made extensive studies by means of vibrational and n.m.r. spectroscopy of complexes of the platinum metals containing trimet hylphosphine, trimeth ylarsine, trimethylamine, e t ~. I -~ The significance of Tc-acceptor properties in the bonding of phosphine ligands in such complexes has been questioned,6 but there can be no doubt of the significance of the x-acceptor ability of carbon monoxide.

Three experiments explored the impact of mourning rituals after losses -of loved ones, lovers, and lotteries -on mitigating grief. Participants who were directed to reflect on past rituals or who were assigned to complete novel rituals after experiencing losses reported lower levels of grief. Increased feelings of control after rituals mediated the link between use of rituals and reduced grief after losses, and the benefits of rituals accrued not only to individuals who professed a belief in rituals' effectiveness but also those who did not. Although the specific rituals in which people engage after losses vary widely by culture and religion -and among our participants -our results suggest a common psychological mechanism underlying their effectiveness: regained feelings of control.

Many Escherichia coli K12 strains undergo switching between two forms which differ in a number of surface properties including colony morphology and the ability to auto-aggregate. This paper describes the identification of a gene which appears to play a part in controlling this switching phenomenon. This gene has been designated mor and is located at 89 minutes on the E. coli chromosome map between the argECBHoperon and the trmA gene. By manipulation of this gene it is possible to overcome the switching of surface properties and fix a strain in one form or the other. The mor gene has been cloned and its DNA sequence determined. The putative protein sequence shows a high level of bomology with four regulatory genes, the iluY, cysB and lysR genes from E. coli and the metR gene from Sdmonella typhurium. It has also been shown that the mor gene is autoregulated at the transcriptional level.