After propelling the development of human civilization for the past three centuries, the use of fossil fuel is now increasingly perceived as leading to unacceptable global alterations in our physical and social environment. Are such perceptions correct? What are our options? This volume is the proceedings of a one-day symposium organized to address these challenging questions as well as to provide partial answers. Three of the papers are on global issues involving energy conservation, greenhouse warming and changing trends in energy use; and four papers are on the more specific technological topics of fuel cells and batteries, solar photovoltaics and the interaction between energy use and urban infrastructure. Short, lively, informative, yet serious and focussed in their intent, the collection of articles in this volume is easy and must reading for policy makers, corporate executives, scientists and engineers, science teachers, environmentalists, journalists, and the general public concerned with the important issues of energy and the environment.