Energy and Environment into the Twenty-First Century: The Challenge to Technology and Ingenuity

Abstract Traditional energy resources, chiefly fossil fuels, are adequate to meet likely global energy demands as the transition to a hydrogen and renewable energy economy is made over the next three to five decades. Long-term trends in efficiency in energy development, use, and conversion will continue and be enlarged. Reliance on fossil fuels for the transition should not cause unacceptable environmental impact, especially with the likely increased emphasis on low-carbon natural gas. The historical economic growth of 3% per annum can be maintained for a global population that will probably stabilize at ~10 billion by the middle part of the twenty-first century.