Role of Science and Technology ~^ 



Science and technology, by themselves, cannot solve any of these 

 complex problems. As part of a broader commitment and larger 

 strategy, however, science and technology can play a pivotal role in 

 helping to alleviate many of them. But these contributions will be 

 neither immediate nor costless. 



The principal role of science and technology is to provide more and 

 better options than are now available for meeting the problems. 

 Science can supply the basic knowledge required for understanding 

 the origins and dynamics of the problems, for measuring their 

 magnitudes and directions, and for devising and assessing possible 

 approaches for coping with them. And technology, drawing upon 

 scientific knowledge, can provide many of the practical tools and 

 techniques for attacking the problems. 



Together, science and technology provide the means for: 



• Understanding and measuring human needs for energy; 

 determining their trends and trade-offs; developing policies 

 and technologies for efficient energy use; assessing the 

 availability and implications of the use of potential sources of 

 energy; and developing new energy sources. 



• Comprehending the dynamics and trends of population 

 growth and developing alternate means of control. 



• Understanding diseases for the purposes of preventing them 

 and developing improved methods of treatment and more 

 effective and efficient delivery of health services. 



• Investigating natural and synthetic foods and materials, their 

 development and use, their disposal or recycling, their 

 efficient use or substitution, and their interaction with 

 human lifestyles and their change. 



• Improving the understanding of interpersonal, institutional, 

 and social problems, and developing and gauging the success 

 of alternate approaches for alleviating them. 



Adequacy of Present Knowledge 



Scientific knowledge at present is sufficient to sustain major 

 research and development efforts in all the directions just cited. 

 Present understanding is adequate to help identify some of the major 

 dimensions of the problems discussed in the report, to give general 

 guidance for formulating plans of applied research and development to 

 attack them, and to offer some potential — although often 

 limited — options for responding to the challenges. 



50 



