ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a short description of the near misses of the past, where the world was at a critical point during or after a great disaster. Only a disaster of world proportions, something like a combination between the Dust Bowl and Chernobyl on steroids encompassing a large area of the world, might make us reconsider and maybe even stop their use. Then, and only then, will reason and compassion prevail and it is then that the great minds will come up with a new approach to energy generation and use. The chapter then moves onto the present developments in the energy and environment sectors, and completes each subject with impartial conclusions and educated predictions of possible developments in the future. Solar and energy efficiency initiatives are also keeping the overall energy consumption down, so to keep the stock price and the profits up, they are trying to stop, or at least modify, solar power generation.
