Energy and environment in the 21st Century

　　Before the beginning of the seventies, in a first approximation, the carbon cycle due to energy production was "closed", in an equilibrium situation until human activities did start to tilt the balance. Presently the yearly emissions of CO2 are about 1/2 absorbed by the oceans and by the vegetation and the rest is accumulated in the atmosphere. This last contribution is today of about 22 billion tons, growing at a rate of about + 2 %/year. We can predict with confidence that in the next centuries, the continuative, unrestricted use of fossil fuels would dramatically modify the Earth's climate, in ways that would have an impact in practice on every living organism. A new vision is urgently needed. Only a prompt and extremely vigorous new effort of R&D and adequate funding towards entirely new energy sources may offset this trend. New major developments in science and technology are urgently required. This has become for us all a tremendous and inevitable responsibility towards the future generations, which we can neither neglect nor postpone.

　　在上个世纪七十年代开始之前，由于能源生产的碳循环在人类的活动使其失去平衡前首次接近平衡状态。目前，每年所排放的二氧化碳的大约1/2由海洋及植物吸收，而剩下的部分便积聚在大气中。这部分如今达到220亿吨，并且每年以大约2%的速度在增加。可以预计，矿物燃料继续不受限制地使用将大大地改变地球的气候，这实际上将影响所有的生物。现急需新视野。只有对全新能源迅速而又揭尽全力地进行研究开发并投入足够的资金支持，才能改变这种趋势。现在非常需要在科技开发方面取得重大进展。这已经成为我们对后代艰巨而又不可推卸的责任，我们对这样的责任既不能疏忽又不能延缓。