Chemical and Biological Risks in the Twenty-first Century

Abstract

Advances in chemistry, biology and related technologies have contributed much to the wellbeing of human society. At the same time, however, they have enabled the battlefield use of poison gas in World War One, the establishment of chemical and biological weapons programmes in a number of countries during the twentieth century, and attempts by non-State actors to acquire and use such weapons at the end of that century. At the same time, risks of accidental releases of hazardous chemical and biological agents have evolved alongside developments in industry and trade, and risks associated with natural pathogens and poisons are being amplified by population growths and increasing movements of people and goods. This risk landscape is about to change again: advances in the life sciences and in enabling technologies are bringing about a technological shift similar to the one that enabled the industrial-scale manufacturing of chemicals at the turn of the nineteenth century. The emerging science, technology and industry environment will be very different from the past, with global technology diffusion and capability distribution, a shift from materials and equipment to information and artificial intelligence, and changing relationships between manufactures and end-users.