Consider a situation in which you are living in a town that must decide whether a garbage incinerator should be built nearby. how would an understanding of chemistry you make an informed decision about how to vote?

When a person is voting on policy, it is the person's responsibility to be well informed of the consequences of the policy. In this case, a basic knowledge of chemistry is necessary for the person to make an informed decision on the advantages and disadvantages of incineration.

Some of the advantages of this system are:

The contributions to air pollution seem to be marginal.Incinerators can produce energy through heat, which could replace at least a percentage of the energy produced by fossil fuels.Incineration of municipal solid waste avoids the release of methane.

Some of the disadvantages are:

The creation of toxic waste such as heavy metals and toxic fly ash that could affect nearby populations.Emission control has to be implemented, which would add to the initial cost.Incineration could contribute to the decline of reducing or recycling, which is preferable for the environment.

Someone with knowledge of chemistry could make similar arguments, and therefore make a useful contribution to the decision-making process.