Earth Day 2026: From the Lab to the Environment
As we celebrate Earth Day 2026, LCGC revisits the archives and looks back at the content that remains as relevant as ever.
Earth Day 2026 arrives at a pivotal moment for science and sustainability. As global environmental pressures intensify—from persistent chemical pollutants and microplastics to the urgent need for greener industrial processes—the analytical sciences have never had a more critical role to play. Whether it is detecting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in waterways, monitoring atmospheric pollutants across entire regions, ensuring the quality of recycled plastics, or rethinking the environmental footprint of the methods we use in the laboratory every day, chromatographic techniques are helping scientists understand, measure, and ultimately address some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.