This paper examines the energy problem. Specific topics discussed include the recent history of oil and gas consumption in the United States, conservation, coal, solar energy, and nuclear energy. While solutions to the energy problem differ, there is an urgent need for broad, public debate. Ultimately, the decisions made regarding energy will be political, but no option can survive without long term public support. The public must be apprised of the advantages and disadvantages of the many hard choices to be made and along with special interest groups be ready to compromise in numerous ways in order to achieve some measure of consensus. In addition, the benefits and risks of different energy choices should not be assessed in isolation from their international setting. The ramifications of energy-related decisions vividly demonstrate the interdependence of nations. A decision to burn more coal in Great Britain or the United States directly affects the amount of acid rain falling on Northern Europe and Canada. Fallout from a nuclear accident in Sweden would be scattered over Denmark while the level of solar energy research in industrialized countries will directly affect the likelihood of economic survival for sun rich, resource-poor developing countries. (Author/RM)