Which inventions should we prioritize to protect the environment and human health and happiness? From better battery and photovoltaic coatings to universal vaccine precursors, Vaclav Smil share his wish list
environment
January 3, 2023
super toto
I’ve never been a fan of science fiction. I’m very skeptical of any claims of “epoch-making” discoveries that are too good to be true.But I’ve also written extensively about the transformative impact of inventions, from ammonia for fertilizer production and semiconductor devices in electronics to 5 in 1 vaccine, can be immune to a series of diseases. More importantly, it seems clear to me that we need new fundamental advances like these to address the many economic, social, and environmental challenges we currently face. I talk about potential advances in my new book, Invention and Innovation: A Brief History of Hype and Failure.
Identifying top priorities for possible breakthroughs is not easy, especially because there is so much room for improvement. Consider energy. Bill Gates noted: “Half the technologies needed to achieve zero emissions either don’t exist yet or are too expensive for much of the world to afford.” You could say the same for every science and technology category. Furthermore, any list of the most desirable inventions is bound to be subjective. If you think my views are rather conservative, I’ll be guilty: there’s no faster-than-light travel, and no terraforming of other planets.
Instead, the 12 innovations I’ve listed here cover a range of problems we urgently need to solve. They focus on areas that will have the greatest impact on human well-being and the environment, and areas where existing knowledge can be built upon. My wish list even includes three changes we can all work on right now (see “bigger and better“).
universal vaccine precursor
human nature…
