AAAS president urges swift action to build a sustainable future

SAN FRANCISCO


Holdren’s address was a sweeping review of evidence which, taken together, shows a planet under profound stress. He said that one of the central problems, and the most complex, is ending the reliance on fossil fuels that is damaging and destabilizing the Earth’s ecosystem.

“Reliable and affordable energy is essential for meeting basic human needs and fueling economic growth,” he said. “But many of the most difficult and dangerous environmental problems at every level of economic development arise from the harvesting, transport, processing, and conversion of energy.”

American Association for the Advancement of Science