What can we learn from our knowledge of fossil fuels as we transition to a society in which most of our energy comes from the sun, wind and biomass? And where, in all of this, does catalysis come in?

Over the past two centuries, we have been using fossil resources to help industry and society move forward – often literally. Catalysis plays a vital role in all these processes, not least because it has made our environment cleaner. But 'cleaner' doesn’t cut it nowadays: if we want to tackle the energy and environmental issues of the future, we need to switch to the most sustainable system available.