Why Sustainable Development 1

[PBroad]

One of the great sucesses of technology institutes is in teaching the "Practice of Engineering". However, we know of Business practice that restricts these technocrats to problem solving in a hands on facility. Several treads on this board highlight this problem, and I could have responded therein. But the problem is more than has been written so far.

It has been said that our growth will be in applications engineering. This however, ignores the the fact that it is hard for a monoped to move forward. What "Engineering" needs is a second leg, which is taught in some top notch schools, but not all, and that is the "Strategy of Engineering".

It is in this field that engineers have historically, and will in the future, play the greatest role. Some see Sustainable Development as something new. However, in a recent book Clem Sunter ("What it really takes to be world class&quot he stresses the need to be efficient, innovative, well managed and socially and environmentally responsible. The best mining companies have long followed this Anglo-American mantra, but there are also boom & bust operators who fuel Wall Street's endless cycles.

Just as the need for materials and energy drove us underground initially we are driven to explore beyond our solar system. However, when we view "Sustainable Development" we should view it as a fence, not as a wall! As Engineers we need to be the ones who appreciate the limits of our current knowledge. To exploit the benefits of new discoveries (new alloys, or new energy sources), for the elevation of all humanity, and when these do not exist to create them. Therein lies the future of Engineering, not in building the first 200 storey building, but in having fire and rescue services in place when that tower is built.

It has been said that the height of insanity is to continue to do things one way, while expecting variable outcomes. That merely defies the basic laws of Science. As Engineers we need to change the variables, not just to solve mechanical problems. Do this and we can look, not at Engineering five years hence, but in 2 or 3 generations.

 

[PSE]

The challenge may be finding engineering talents who wish to practice outside of the technical role (after all, technology is why we got into engineering in the first place). Taken to the extreme, I am not sure that a society or world run by Technocrats would be any better off than what we have now. Sustainable development (which in my view means building on and improving the existing), needs to make allowances for the disruptive discoveries that lead to innovative leaps.

 

[Impdrew]

Engineers are often merely pawns in this big bad world!!!! It is by engineers hands and brains, technological discoveries and applications, that "develpoment" occurs. However, it is not engineers who always decide how and when it will be used, that is left to the financials and the politicians...engineers often follow the trail ...in the most socially and environmentally way we can.

Yes, engineers do also shape the future, and contribute to leading movements towards sustainability. However,the war in Iraq reminds us that we have to re-build things there that we helped build not that long ago...some may get twice as rich, but it is not very sustainable to blow a perfectly good city up and then re-build it. Yet, some engineering firms will survive because of it. Please note, engineers also built the bombs that do the damage....there may be some engineers building the newest sustainable building in Switzerland, but there are others building anti-tank missiles, guidance systems and nuclear missiles as we speak...

This reminds us that although it has a higher purpose in the "Strategy of Engineering", it/engineers will ALSO always be no more than a tool. Despite the ideal purpose for the elevation of all humanity..we are fitting into a world with many forces pulling...so in the future of engineering.... flexibility still counts.

Hopefully, the "strategy of engineering" will become a more mainstream ideal and the future of engineers will be more pro-actively shaped by engineers...but that requires engineers to have a bigger influence on (integrate with) those that influence us, rather than us being the actual politicians. Things like this forum are a step in the right direction, because they help engineers not only share knowledge, but they allow us to spread and collate our opinions from a wide range of sources....maybe the occassional poll would be interesting...but that may be getting too political.

 

[PSE]

Impdrew,

Even a pawn can be used to checkmate a king. While we may not be in a leadership role all that often, we can be great influencers on the outcome.

Regards