Environmentally Sustainable Growth in the 21st Century: The Role of Catalytic Science in Technology

Abstract

Nations of the world face an unprecedented and daunting challenge. They aggressively seek to stimulate their economies, to create new jobs, to increase the accessibility of products and technologies that enhance the quality of life--at the same time they desparately pursue the reversal of a perceived global environmental crisis. Resolution of this apparent paradox can be addressed to a significant degree by new developments in catalytic science. With the recent advent of molecular design techniques, the modernized form of this broadly applicable technological tool has the potential to change the face of the four fundamental needs of humanity--health care, food supply, energy, and materials. This can be done in a way that provides a path to environmentally sustainable development for all citizens of the planet.