The Future of Energy Supply: Challenges and Opportunities

Energy for everybody? The ever increasing world energy demand cannot be satisfied much longer with fossil fuels; alternatives are required to limit the chance of a climate collapse and the spreading of wars for natural resources. The 21st century will be largely defined by the way we face and resolve the energy crisis. This is an intricate and fascinating scientific challenge, in which chemistry will play a fundamental role, and also an unprecedented opportunity to shape a more peaceful world. Questions are never indiscrete, answers sometimes are. Each generation is confronted with new challenges and new opportunities. In a restricted system like the Earth, however, opportunities discovered and exploited by a generation can cause challenges to the subsequent ones. Fossil fuels have offered astounding opportunities during the 20th century in the rich countries of the western world, but now mankind has to face the challenges arising from fossil-fuel exploitation. The proven reserves of fossil fuels are progressively decreasing,1 and their continued use produces harmful effects, such as pollution that threatens human health and greenhouse gases associated with global warming. Currently the world's growing thirst for oil amounts to almost 1000 barrels a second,2 which means about 2 liters a day per each person living on the Earth (Figure 1).13 The current global energy consumption is equivalent to 13 terawatts (TW), that is, a steady 13 trillion watts of power demand. How long can we keep running this road? In this 1970 picture, an average American family is surrounded by the barrels of oil they consume annually. Now this consumption is about 40 % higher. Energy is the most important issue of the 21st century. Here is the fundamental challenge we face, here are many vital and entangled questions that we are called to answer. Can well-being, or even happiness, be identified with the highest possible amount of per capita energy consumption? Should we progressively stop burning fossil fuels? Can scientists find an energy source capable of replacing fossil fuels? Can chemistry help in solving the energy problem? Will it be possible for all the Earth's inhabitants to reach the standard of living of developed countries without devastating the planet? Will science and technology alone take us to where we need to be in the next few decades? Should we, citizens of the western world, change our lifestyle and shift to innovative social and economic paradigms? Can people living in poor countries improve their quality of life? 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