Vasant Kumar

Abstract:

While not pretending to predict the future, projections, debates and scientific choices are crucial for dealing with potential scenarios arising from energy and sustainability issues. In this paper I wish to touch upon the unfolding vortex with respect to resource & energy, sustainability of materials, health of the environment and the carbon cycle as the societal landscape on which scientific and technological innovation maps will be constructed. In my mind, the debate is about how to accelerate resource-sensitive scientific thinking and technological practices that are compatible with sustainable development, so that we can flourish more by working within ecological constraints rather than by hoping to bypass them.