Am I the only one who thinks that perhaps some of our technology has come too far, too fast? And are we really better off as a result of this? Whenever I bring up the subject among friends and colleagues it invariably results in my being told to “get back to the dark ages” (which I’m old enough to remember). If I have interpreted the current general opinion correctly, it’s that all progressive technology is good, and that rather than eventually making us redundant and supine, the world without it would be a very dark place indeed.

So, when I become World Leader, my first task will be to establish a Ministry of Recovery and Discovery (MoRD). This novel ministry will continue to produce inventions of benefit to mankind, but with the restriction that they do no harm to the planet – for example, by leaving a trail of pollution. Simultaneously, it will tackle the removal of those insidious evolutions that threaten our well-being and that of our planet.

One of the first challenges for the MoRD will be to remove all traces of the internal combustion engine. As a major source of pollution worldwide, its demise would greatly help the environment and would herald a new era of opportunity and challenge. Companies manufacturing things such as bicycles and horseshoes would receive a boost, and what a joy it would be to hear the soothing clatter of hooves making their way along the smooth motorway surfaces, mingled with the soft purr of the electric vehicles developed to fill the needs of emergency services and public service providers. Of course, a new breed of highly efficient, high-capacity batteries would be developed to replace the lithium cell, and the positively archaic lead-acid museum piece.

An important follow-up task for the MoRD would be the removal of any residual legacy left by petrol and diesel cars – perhaps by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using the relatively cheap and efficient direct air capture method, which is currently being pioneered at a few locations, including Cambridge in the UK. At the same time, the ministry’s botany team would be striving to perfect a new breed of trees and plants with enhanced powers of photosynthesis, giving at least twice the capacity for oxygen production.

Further strong candidates for removal include plastics, mobile telephones and nuclear power. Both nuclear power and plastics share the same virtually insoluble problem of waste disposal. The indestructible nature and consequent build-up of long-half-life nuclear waste, the potential for accidental radiation hazard and the proliferation of nuclear weaponry no longer makes nuclear power an attractive option. The current estimate of high-level waste held worldwide is in excess of a quarter of a million tonnes and rising, which is a lot of dangerous material to have around, whether deeply buried, launched into space, submerged beneath the oceans, or elsewhere.

Plastic, with its indestructible nature and ability to insinuate itself into the very fabric of our planet at an alarming rate, has more than outlived its initial usefulness. The diverse scale of its use – from the majority of packaging, to low-friction bearings, to polypropylene used to ensure the physical integrity of the humble tea bag even – leaves a formidable plastics legacy of pollution and destruction. Research at the MoRD to earnestly develop a truly recyclable, biodegradable replacement will be a priority. In the interim period, tea drinkers will need to resort to the faithful tea pot – and with growing sales the emergence of a new, attractive, heat-retaining, truly non-drip tea pot would be welcomed by tea drinkers everywhere.

Of the various clean forms of energy, wind, solar and wave seem to have the greatest potential, especially if their efficiency continues to improve. Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are particularly versatile, without the need to “track the wind” by yawing the rotor or pitching the blades. Easier maintenance than the horizontal equivalent is assured as generator and gearbox can be positioned at ground level. This also makes them an attractive proposition for the domestic situation, inviting initiatives such as collaboration with rotary clothesline manufacturers. VAWTs are generally longer-lasting, cheaper, can be situated closer together and have higher power outputs than horizontal-axis versions.

Research into the biological effects, if any, of microwave radiation associated with mobile telephones has continued to be minimal and inconclusive since the 2000 Stewart report by the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP). Biologist William Stewart concluded, quite correctly, that there was no evidence that such microwave radiation had any harmful effect on humans – much to the relief of mobile phone manufacturers – although, interestingly, he advised that the use of mobiles by children should be discouraged. Stewart’s conclusions, of course, offer no guarantee of safety and one recalls how asbestos, X-rays and cigarettes were retrospectively condemned after considerable damage had been done.

With the current world population racing towards eight billion, it is clear where we are heading, and the destination isn’t that attractive. Facing dwindling resources such as air, water, food and space, the MoRD will have to take the initiative to meet this challenging situation if we are to survive, although it will be difficult to come up with a humane and ethical solution.