Natural photosynthesis, the process whereby carbon dioxide is converted into carbohydrate and water is oxidized to molecular oxygen, has supplied the overwhelming majority of stored energy available on our planet. This stored energy, which is mostly in the form of fossil fuels, had sufficed for billions of years and it is only very recently that the stocks of fuel have started to deplete at a rate faster than Nature can replenish. Indeed, our insatiable appetite for instant energy is set to expand at an unprecedented pace and our capability to generate carbon dioxide knows no bounds. The need to provide additional energy and to deal with the ensuing ecological problems associated with current lifestyles in the developed world pose tremendous challenges for the scientific community. The urgency, and therefore the funding, devoted to solving these problems is set exclusively by the price of oil and, as a consequence, the attention given to meeting these challenges is driven by market forces. Once again we are entering a period of wildly fluctuating oil prices and this time, unlike the 1970s, it is unlikely that the cost per barrel will fall steeply after an uncomfortable ride. The search for renewable energy supplies is now a major issue for all stable governments but it must be accompanied by new initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide levels and, in as much as it is possible, sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This is precisely how photosynthesis works and although many intriguing alternatives merit consideration at a local level, it is crucial that scientists are given the opportunity to produce a viable form of artificial photosynthesis. The overall challenge is massive and needs to be addressed by a multinational force dedicated to the task – it is far beyond the capability of a single investigator.