"It is said that the present is pregnant with the future"

Engineering needs to think about Voltaire's comment in the context of the "Big Four" questions that we face as we march toward nine billion people - -

1. Can we produce enough food to feed them, and clean water for them to drink?
2. Can we create enough energy to power their needs?
3. Can we provide them with a reasonable level of health care?
4. Can we, without ruining the environment or facing drastic shortages, manufacture the consumer goods and provide the services they will desire?