Unless you live under a rock, in a cave or just flew in from deep space, you’ve already heard that Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize. And, earlier this year Mr. Gore won an Academy Award for his documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”. It looks like Nobel Prizes are conveniently being passed out this year for those who are involved in climate change and cleaning up the environment.
German chemist Gerhardt Ertl has also won the Nobel Prize for his work in surface chemistry. His efforts have resulted in catalytic converters stripping carbon monoxide from car exhaust and corrective action taken in regard to the depletion of the ozone layer in the atmosphere. But, Gerhardt Ertl has also made strides in hydrogen technology as well.
The Guardian Unlimited talks about Gerhardt Ertl’s achievements saying “The scientist first studied the behaviour of hydrogen on metal surfaces, a reaction that forms the bedrock of plans to develop an environmentally friendly hydrogen economy. It governs how hydrogen is produced from the electrolysis of water, and how fuel cells can convert that hydrogen into electricity.”
So, congratulations to Al Gore and Gerhardt Ertl for their work on bringing awareness about climate change and reducing greenhouse gases. Could Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, have ever predicted that this year’s winners would be men dedicated to saving the planet from imploding? Probably so, since Alfred Nobel, like Gore and Ertl knew how to keep his eye on the prize.
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