In-Flat-ion(the inner voice of an ion which has fallen flat in world!!)

Well,lots of things have been happening around and Inflation is surely the talk of the town.Hike in oil & gas prices in both the developing and the developed countries has become a challenging situation–both politically and scientifically.As a non-political person,who has always been utterly miserable in understanding world(in a philosophical sense),i’d like to bound my premise to the scientific angle–chemical industry in particular.

The soaring price of the fuel is pushing up the prices of the everyday consummable goods like the shampoo bottle,nail polishes,detergents and cleansers,paper,etc in turn.Noted ACC Economist Kevin Brown has calculated the value of the petro-ingredients of a variety of products: Tyres, 62 percent (from the artificial rubber to carbon blacking); a vacuum cleaner, 30 percent (many plastic parts); lipstick, 100 percent (from the paraffin wax to the dyes and fragrances).Even paper, which mostly grows on trees, owes about a quarter of the cost of its materials to petro-products needed to convert pulp into pages, he said.

For a simple understanding,consider the shampoo bottle–It is made of high-density polycarbonate. The cap is made from another plastic. The label is a composite of plastic resin and paper. The ink on that paper is petroleum-derived. The glue on the back is petroleum-derived. Now if you look inside the bottle, at the surfactants, emulsifiers and fragrances…..makes you realize,its all petrochemistry.So,you see a hike in the oil prices is inturn affecting the whole chemical industry.

Reminds of a quote my friend had as a status message::”geography is now history”.Haha,true!!Depleting resources has catalysed the world in heading towards energy crisis .The inflation is just an alarming indication towards the upcoming catastrophe which not only needs immediate attention but innovative solutions as well.

But the silver lining here is that inflation has brought along “Pressure”.How true Keynes’ law is–that demand creates its own supply.The increasing need for green technology and efficient energy management has put many scientists and chem engg at task.Have you ever pondered over the alternative possibilties apart from merely cribbing over the hike and reading news articles?Have you ever wondered how much is your contribution to this ‘inevitable’ price hike?Have you ever mused over how you as an individual can make a difference?If you have,you deserve to exist..else,..i wont say it,you are smart enough to understand!.Because from now on the going would get tougher and tougher for the homo sapiens.

Scientists have been examining various natural options available to them but have continued to stumble upon many hindering blocks in their pursuit.Conversion fo biomass into energy,Harnessing the nuclear energy,Effective energy design to optimise consumption,improvement in fuel-efficiency,better mechanical design..are some areas you can pick up from the infinite being researched.But globalisation is a very tricky concept…it has pulled in political controversies messing up the state of affairs.

Whatever,might it be…girls won’t stop buying cosmetics…we won’t stop using our bikes…we won’t stop reading the editorial columns..let the brainy struggle for solutions.who cares,right?Hike in the prices means hike in the doctor’s consultation fee…hike in the real estate agent’s commission fee..hike in the college management quota seats’ fee….hike in the government official’s ”gift” fee…everything’s hiking…but our intelligence?our innovativeness??Now where am I???