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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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The of energy and of by the and can improve the of energy and can play a in any of technology and can even find a for solving the energy is the of Will it be possible for all Earth's inhabitants to reach the standard of living of developed countries without devastating the planet? as the will reach a are for all people to at the by developed keep a of we will be to for the most important Will science and technology alone take us to where we need to be in the next few decades? science and technology will fully in of we never that spaceship Earth, for is a system and that we are the natural is a need to our on the Earth and to as much as we in of that the Earth is an in which we but a system which we to and we Should we, citizens of the western world, change our lifestyle and shift to innovative social and economic paradigms? change our lifestyle for the of economic cannot be it the of we that our on In countries we in where the of and have we on the need of increasing of energy however, will us the of is but it can even we energy of will use the to more from a in the we need new and new of world's need to the of and a of to Can people of poor countries improve their they is is we to to this we change our and consumption in is to by of oil equivalent per as a of a of a in of will be for an or an in of will be for an the in energy rich and poor to stop the in countries energy to poor This is more a of energy consumption however, this is are on the planet for energy to has to on the standard of of the rich to that of the we can as scientists is help countries to their for to their energy and energy is for the of as called for in the our and on be by a on the of energy that will be harmful to and to human global to the energy is an be in a more on the that the Earth's are The first of this is to consumption of fossil This is a that the where a of any amounts of produces of and an in the world's The is to without any a and for and of This is a of developed countries where most of scientific is The of energy be on the technology it will for each and each to the in and to have a more and more energy of all energy as the in the The way of the is a global with it will take a long any will our have to the to energy a but have the to the of the and of the energy and they with on a the energy be on a longer that of are of the of the of also and that that we the of economic us that is power source on Earth that can our and Each and even of such a is a for a and the of a peaceful world. the to with the is to it be but living on the Earth that is need for the of is and will in a few most will this by The energy is a challenge, also an a chance to more about the world in which we and the that we have is an opportunity for scientists to take an in the Earth and to change is in our social and with the the rich and the are that the of human with increasing to the world or the poor will the to the of but in the long it cannot be The spaceship Earth is in our we to science and a capable of and a more peaceful we need scientists capable of where we are is the for us to new energy be in the next science and technology will to the energy at the however, we cannot on is energy consumption and are find the of In this it is to that at the first of new and oil to be the most of many for the energy crisis. like in a world and are of the technology even the like to this with a few on the of our The the highest quality of but are the as as energy reserves are in the in and is now and the oil a % of the world's proven oil The reserves of and the for % of the The is with with and % of the world's to energy about that a is and a to energy is for the world, it is for the of energy energy is for we use of our energy in a an to of by a we a power with of as in the and in the can by and power and progressively to are all the world, an power is in in (Figure as world in we need to energy from we be to and our energy to the of the world. us the that this can be in the of during the oil the way for a economic from the use of energy to the use of the harmful energy source by the has the and economic to this have a most important in a new generation of and citizens of to the of the of in the world's most and capable of a economic with new and and a social such as and have to be the of such a the of energy will us to our way of this will that our will be in a more peaceful world. the of now will be
Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Volume 46, Issue 1-2, pp. 52-66