Smalley Institute Grand Challenges

Vision: We lead the world in solving humanity’s most pressing problems through the application of nanotechnology.

Over 2002 and 2003, Professor Richard E. Smalley developed a list of the Top Ten Problems Facing Humanity over the next 50 Years as described below.  The Smalley Institute has identified 5 of these problems as our Grand Challenges – energy, water, environment, disease, education.  The faculty researches of the Smalley Institute use a variety of nanotechnology approaches to significantly impact these Grand Challenges.  We invite you to learn more about our impact on each Grand Challenge through our website.

 

 

Richard Smalley on Energy – University Professor Lecture Series January 2003

 

Top Ten Problems Facing Humanity Over the Next 50 Years

1. Energy
2. Water
3. Food
4. Environment
5. Poverty
6. Terrorism & War
7. Disease
8. Education
9. Democracy
10. Population

 

Where did this list come from?  Over 2002 and 2003, Professor Richard E. Smalley posed the question “What will be the Top Problems facing the World in the not too distant future – 50 years?” to several of his captive audiences.  Professor Smalley asked them to think globally and to keep in mind the world population will grow from 6.5 billion in 2003 to 10 billion in 2050.  Each group questioned consistently provided six answers – energy, water, food, environment, poverty, terrorism & war.  The other four listed were presented by most groups – disease, education, democracy, population.

 

Once the top ten have been identified, the question becomes how to rank them.  Professor Smalley chose the following criteria – problems are weighted more heavily if solving them makes it easier to solve another problem.  So let’s run through them …

 

If abundant, affordable, clean energy and water were readily available to everyone, all of the other 8 problems become much easier to solve.  Consequently, energy and water are at the top of the list.  Now which ranks higher?  With abundant energy resources, sea water could be easily desalinated by boiling.  Affordable energy also increases the availability of potable water by making transportation across the land cost-effective.  It is very hard to make the argument that with abundant potable water supplies we could solve the energy crisis.  Therefore, energy is ranked #1 and water #2.

 

Moving further down the list, with a population of over 10 billion in 2050, #3 Food will be a tremendous issue.  If clean, abundant energy and water were available the issue of food shortage would be greatly diminished.   The concern over #4 the Environment would be greatly lessened with a cleaner energy source.  Additionally, environmental remediation of other pollutants will undoubtedly require new technology and the energy to power that technology.  #5 Poverty is an interesting issue because it encompasses many other issues like food, shelter, clothing, and clean water.  We have already demonstrated how energy will impact food and water supplies.  With affordable energy supplies, societies would be able to produce more goods and services thereby providing the shelter and clothing needed to significantly impact the issue of poverty.  Rounding out the six problems identified by all survey groups is #6 Terrorism and War.  In modern history energy has played a key role in war with one example being Germany’s clash with Russia at the Battle of Stalingrad.  In WWII, Germany went into Russia and fought Battle at Stalingrad to get to the oil-rich Caucasus region in order to supply their forces with adequate energy.  While energy is not the underlying issue with terrorism, energy does significantly impact poverty which if solved would reduce the threat of terrorism considerably.

 

Continuing with the responses provided by most survey groups, we have listed #7 Disease.  Disease is directly impacted by sanitation and economic access to medicine, food, and clean water – all areas energy impacts.  Addressing #8 Education is a much easier issue to tackle once poverty, disease, and war are reduced – all problems where energy has great influence.  #9 Democracy is the natural evolution of societies where education, poverty, disease, and war are not major concerns, which comes from access to affordable energy.  Finally, #10 Population is a little tricky.  One could argue if population were #1 it would solve or at least significantly impact all of the other issues.  So what is the appropriate level of population?  Looking at the concerns of today, one could argue zero population growth over the next 50 years would be necessary.  Perhaps, but the question then becomes how do you control population to that degree?  Looking to anthropology we find the answer to the population issue – external factors.  In societies with economic prosperity and educated women, the rate of population increase is significantly lower than that of nations with neither or only one.  Take for example Germany versus Saudi Arabia.  Germany has reached economic prosperity and educated their female population.  Saudi Arabia has reached economic prosperity but not educated their female population.  In 2007, Germany’s birth rate was 8.2 births/1,000 population while Saudi Arabia was 29.1 births/1,000 population.  This is only one of several data points that support a similar conclusion.  Therefore, the world population will be naturally controlled by significantly increasing education and bolstering economic well-being (reducing poverty, war, disease and increasing democracy) – all factors that are significantly impacted by solving the world’s energy problem.

 

We hope that we have been able to put into perspective the global issues or Grand Challenges the Smalley Institute strives to overcome.  Now the question becomes “How do we solve these problems?”  The faculty researches of the Smalley Institute use a variety of nanotechnology approaches to significantly impact the Institute’s Grand Challenges – energy, water, environment, disease, education.  We invite you to learn more about our impact on each Grand Challenge through our website.