What is the most important engineering problem of our future?

[BillP]

Just to extend and add further comment on the need for a petroleum replacement, most people have no clue as to the depth that we as a world are dependent on oil.

Look at the obvious first, energy. Burning petroleum products to create energy not only depletes the already diminishing supplies, but is the single larges source of pollution on the planet (not that I'm a rabid environmentalist, just a realist). We need multiple replacement technologies for the energy we derive from petroleum based products. First, we need large scale, clean and efficient energy sources to generate electricity to power industry. Secondly, we need a "portable" replacement technology for all of our transportation needs (and I'm not just talking about cars. We have to include planes, trains and automobiles along with boats and everything else that we move from one place to another).

And then, we have to consider plastics. Just about all plastics come from petroleum, and just about everything we use has some plastic in it, or comes wrapped in plastic, or is made on an assembly line that has plastic in it.

Did you know that many medicines are petroleum based? Did you know that, with exception of water, petroleum based solvents are the most commonly used in all industry? Did you know that most agricultural fertilizers and pesticides are petroleum products? Do you get the point?

I agree with the earlier statement that the next major technological revolution will be focused on petroleum replacement technology, and this revolution will dwarf all past revolutions in its scope and impact.