American society, with a standard of living unprecedented in human history, can attribute a large measure of its success to increasingly sophisticated uses of energy. The strength of industry, the speed of transportation, the myriad comforts and conveniences of home and workplace, and the security of the nation all derive from ever more ingenious provision and application of various sources and forms of energy.

But that condition has come at a cost—to irreplaceable resources, to the environment, and to our national independence. Society has begun to question the methods we use to power modern life and to search for better alternatives. As the nationwide debate continues, it is already evident that managing energy use wisely in the 21^st century will call for balancing three essential, but quite different, concerns: resources, responsibility, and security.

Please download The National Academies booklet, “What You Need to Know About Energy,” to learn more

ENERGY CHALLENGES

Presented to the 145th Annual Meeting
of the National Academy of Sciences
Ralph J. Cicerone, President
April 28, 2008

Download Energy Challenges here