In this viewpoint, Chen discusses recent progress in nitrogen chemistry, high-lighting a path toward minimizing the use of fossil fuels by developing more efficient heterogeneous, homogeneous, photo- and electrocatalytic processes, or by adapting the enzymatic processes underlying the natural nitrogen cycle. She focuses in particular on NH3, which possesses great potential as a carbon-neutral source of energy, provided fundamental breakthroughs in catalysis, materials science, and physics are achieved.