Ethics in Engineering - Assignment Example

Title Name Institution Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 1.0 Why the environment should be a concern for engineers 4 2.0 The significance of provisions requiring environmental safeguarding 6 2.1 Minimalist: 7 2.2 Reasonable Care: 7 2.3 Good Works: 7 2.4 What engineers can do 7 3.0 The role of an engineer in protection of the environment 8 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction Abdul-Wahab et al (2003) describes ethics as the study of the qualities of being moral, and entails the moral choice that individuals make as they get to interact. According to El-Zein et al (2007), engineers need to be conversant with ethics to guide their engineering practice. This puts weight into the relevance of engineering ethics, which Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011) describe as the rules and standards that govern how engineers conduct themselves during their professional engineering roles. Beamon (2005) sees engineering ethics as highlighting the moral practices and decision-making processes that come up in engineering practice. In his view, an overarching objective of ethics in environment is to ensure consideration of the total immediate and the ultimate environmental impacts of the engineering designs, products, and practices to ensure protection of the public and natural environment. As Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011) argue, the codes of ethics in engineering practice are intended to consciously put public interest above the practicing engineers’ interests. The objective is to counterbalance the philosophy of the market, which requires that the interest of the public be attained by people pursuing self-interests. Such thinking is indeed at the centre of environmental sustainability due to its tendency to highlight on economic instruments and valuation in the hope of safeguarding the environment. Previously, conflict between public interest and self-interest has been an insignificant issue for engineers since engineering works were mostly linked to human advancement (El-Zein et al, 2007). Today, however, environmental concerns have led to a discrepancy between self, professional, client, employer, and lastly public interest. This paper exemplifies reasons justifying the rationale that the environment should be a concern for all engineers, and the ethical issues the engineers should comply with to ensure environmental safeguarding. 1.0 Why the environment should be a concern for engineers According to Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011), the need for engineering ethics in environment is prompted by the link between the profession and the human progress. Particular reciprocal positions of clients, workmanship, employers, and peers in promoting human progress relative to environmental effects have also brought moral dilemmas in engineering practice. The ethical issue of engineering design has therefore, transformed into a fundamental issue of ensuring engineers take sufficient and special responsibility for the environment. In this respect, normative ethics are important points of focus. As Harris et al (2008) mentions, ethics is substantially influenced by various items within the cultural landscape, such as environment, society, heritage, economy, informational technology and sustainability. Of particular concern is the advancement of technology, most of which have great potential to cause negative implications on the health of people and the environment. In fact, studies have established a link between the quality of environment and human health (Wang et al, 2014). The vital components of life include food, air, and water that offer critical pathways for contaminants that affect human health. Studies have also linked exposure to pollutants through water, air, and soil contamination to health conditions like respiratory ailments, cancer, and breakdown of the nervous system (Wen & Gu, 2012).) Climate change is another critical issue of concern. According to Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011), the models of climate change have forecasted rise in sea level, change in patterns of rainfall and severe disruption of the weather patterns during the last century. The culprits for climate change have been identified to be the greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. Historically, much of the carbon dioxide has been produced by carbon fossil fuel-consuming machineries designed by engineers. This established fact implies that engineers should consider mitigating climate change in their design processes. Abdul-Wahab et al (2003) also offered an account of environmental concerns that require ethical engineering. He suggested that the future has become increasingly complex and trickier to navigate safely through the various issues that confront humanity. The humanity is confronted by uncertain future due to engineering works, which may cause costly energy, as well as potential catastrophic effects because of shortage of portable water, climate change, as well as the backfiring effects due to the use of synthetic chemicals. The occurrence of these issues is a concern as they happen in the face of swiftly mounting numbers of people, as well as the increased per capita income (Akhtaruzzaman et al, 2011). At the same time, new technologies abound, such as nuclear fusion reactors, robots, nanobots, interconnected data highways, and wireless systems. In which case, use of such technologies has been encouraged. Engineering plays a crucial role in social, human, cultural, and economic development goals, specifically sustainable development. Indeed, sustainable development is a key challenge in addressing the existing human needs from natural resources, energy, industrial commodities, shelter, transportation, as well as waste management while simultaneously enhancing the environmental health (Abdul-Wahab et al 2003). Based on the above review, it is critical to argue that the three critical issues needed to be balanced in ethical engineering include economic welfare, social equity, and ecological health. This assumption is rooted in the ethical commitment to the well-being of the contemporary population, as well as the security and improved opportunities of future generations (Akhtaruzzaman et al 2011). 2.0 The significance of provisions requiring environmental safeguarding The codes of engineering ethics specify several provisions to ensure that engineers take the needs of their employers, clients, public, and their profession into perspective. Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011) specify that engineers should ensure public safety, health and general welfare, engage in practices in their areas of competence, act professionally when dealing with clients and employees, uphold the integrity of engineering professional and continually pursue opportunities for professional development. Examples of engineering code of ethics include that set up by the Engineers Australia, in Australia and the Codes of Ethics for Engineers specified by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in the United States. Engineers Australia Code of Ethics and ABT and NSPE codes share two common perspectives on the significance of engineers: engineers need to work towards advancing the general welfare of the public with compromising on the environmental safety. In addition, they need to commit to protection of the environment and enhance the quality of public life. Beamon (2005) further suggests three frames of reference that define the responsibilities of engineers in this respect. 2.1 Minimalist: Engineers need to comply with the standards of engineering operating procedures. This will enable them avoid culpability and liability for environmental degradation (Beamon, 2005). 2.2 Reasonable Care: By virtue of their profession, engineers should identify the variable at risk of harm from engineering activities. In return, they should practice reasonable care by associating the risk linking their technology and actions. This will offer proportional protection to the environment and the public (Beamon, 2005). 2.3 Good Works: The actions taken by engineers should be “go beyond their call of duty,” or what should be reasonably expected. This enables them identify hazards and offer protection against such hazards (Akhtaruzzaman et al, 2011). 2.4 What engineers can do Based on the above provisions, it could convincingly be argued that while many individuals within the society are concerned about the state of the ecosystem, engineers are at a vantage positioned to protect the environment from pollution and detriment, and to correct the current problems. The engineers can help humanity to live within constraints and seeing to it that there is more fairness in accessing limited resources. Indeed, the real issue at the heart of sustainable development is fair and constrained access to limited resources, since the earth is getting fuller each day, with the growing population. For instance, in consistency with the socio-economic and environmental aspects of ensuring sustainable social and economic development, sustainable building is among the fastest growing practices in the construction industry. Indeed, a life cycle analysis, provided by El-Zein et al (2007), indicated that sustainable design ensures desirable environmental impact. In fact, a review of the current trends in sustainable engineering by Akhtaruzzaman et al, 2011) show that the shift towards sustainable design is accelerating rapidly, as most nations are moving towards green technology. They can as well gauge their project’s impact on water, air, soil and levels of noise in order to come up with effective alternatives. The engineering code of ethics advocate for the protection of the environment through assessment. It requires engineers to assess a project impact on water, air, soil and levels of noise. 3.0 The role of an engineer in protection of the environment Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011) suggest that engineers have a social contract with the society to harness the opportunity in their profession in order to work towards ensuring that they enhance the safety, health, as well as the social welfare of the communities. In fact, the public safety and public health is contingent on engineering decisions, risk assessment and engineering practices integrated in machines, products, structures, devices and processes (Casali 2007). Kreiner et al (2004) clarify that engineers should be accountable to the duties they are assigned. Towards this end, engineers also need to adhere to the rules and regulations the local and global communities impose. Engineers have an obligation to be honest and fair while dealing with their clients, employers and the public, and to uphold the integrity of the environment. According to Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011), ethics encompasses a study of decisions, actions and practices that responsible persons need to choose, the values honourable persons need to advocate for and adopt, as well as the character that a virtuous individual needs to embrace. Within the context of engineering profession, this also means that engineers need to be fair, honest, trustworthy, respectful, and civil and uphold integrity in all their practices and applications. They should notify authority on environmental threats. Apart from these common obligations, engineers also have additional roles that emerge from the responsibilities they have to their employers and clients, as well as the public. As Beder (1995) argues, engineers have a special role due to their specialisations, skills, knowledge and competencies above the obligations enshrined for the employers and clients. Clearly put, they should be committed to public good and lead the way in ensuring that their employers and clients are provided with services that ensure commitment to public good. Still, Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011) raises concerns that engineering societies currently offer limited guidance on how to prioritise the public good, with the exception of cases like whistleblowing. In which case, when an engineer senses an immediate threat to public safety, he has an obligation to notify the concern authority, and if the authorities do not address such threat, the engineers still have an obligation to blow the whistle. Engineers are the central component of the society due to their social contract in ensuring sustainable development and public safety. Arguing from this basis, Abdul-Wahab et al (2003) explain that engineers need to make efforts at discovery of all the pertinent facts regarding design and development, project implementation and the likely project implications. Hence, the choices they make have far-reaching impacts on the society and the community. In a related review, Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011) showed that the reason why engineers have a role in ensuring sustainable development and public safety is since people depend wholly on the products they design, which need to be robust, dependable, safe, cost-effective, and sustainable. In fact, various codes of ethics have provided principles of engineering to uphold this role. For instance, the engineers need to design and develop technologies, which are sustainable. They also need to offer expert advice to non-experts. Abdul-Wahab et al (2003) also opines that engineers work to advance the general welfare of the people and the environment. This is since engineering profession is influenced by the challenges or opportunities that lead to sustainability. Additionally, engineers are the service providers of desirable alternatives to energy solutions, increase in the social values and reduction of environmental effects. Still, several challenges exist due to the adverse impacts of environmental pollution, depletion of energy resources, the rapidly growing populations and detriment to the ecology. In such case, several approaches should be recommended (Abdul-Wahab et al, 2003). A wholly environmental-friendly approach should be used. At the same time, engineers need to progressively take wider perspective, such as alleviation of poverty, global connections and social justice. Overall, the decisive role and leadership of engineers in attaining sustainable environment should not be overlooked (Akhtaruzzaman et al, 2011). Engineers should reduce environmental emissions. Studies have established a connection between the qualities of environment. Basing his argument on the premise that air pollution threatens sustainability of the environment, Abdul-Wahab et al (2003) suggests that engineers should take the role of reducing environmental emissions, such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and mercury through compliance to environmental standards that regulate these emissions. According to Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011), engineers need to comply with the national standards for particulate matter and ground level ozone. Additionally, humanity faces a challenge in accessing safe drinking water. Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011) commented that engineers have a special role in mitigating this issue. In which case, engineers should come up with a framework for protecting water sources and aquatic life to create strategies for safe drinking water. In respect to land pollution, Abdul-Wahab et al (2003) showed that hazardous substances in soil threaten human and plant life. Hence, engineers should use risk-based management approaches to focus their attention where they are required. They should also ensure responsible disposal of hazardous substances to avoid soil contamination. When it comes to climate change, Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011) suggest that engineers should consider developing designs that do not precipitate climate change. Rather, they should play a role in mitigation of the climate change. This point is linked to energy consumption. As Beamon (2005) shows, the rapidly growing population also implies growth in energy use. Burning of fossil fuels like natural gas, oil and coals to generate energy releases greenhouse gas that pose harmful effects to the environment. In this respect, Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011) recommend that engineers should play a critical role in developing new ideas that ensure sustainable development by making designs that use renewable energy sources like solar, ocean tides, geothermal, water and waste materials. Conclusion The environment is a key concern for engineers. It is concluded that the three key issues necessary for balancing ethical engineering and sustainable development include economic welfare, social equity, and ecological health. This is rooted in the idea that ethical commitment to the well-being of the people as and the security and safety of environment can attain balanced economic welfare, social equity, and ecological health. Indeed, these visions are reflected in Engineers Australia Code of Ethics and ABT and NSPE codes, which share two common perspectives on the significance of engineers: engineers need to work towards promoting public health, safety, and welfare. They also need to commit to protection of the environment and enhance the quality of public life. Hence, engineers have an obligation to be honest and fair while dealing with their clients, employers and the public and to uphold the integrity of the environment. They should as well enhance the safety, health as well as the social welfare of the communities. References Abdul-Wahab, S, Abdulraheem, M. & Hutchinson, M. (2003). The need for inclusion of environmental education in undergraduate engineering curricula. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 4(2), 126-137 Akhtaruzzaman, M., Bari, S. & Anwar, F. (2011). Engineers' Obligations towards Sustainable Environment. 2nd International Conference on Professional Ethics and Education in Engineering 2011 Beamon, B 2005, "Environmental and Sustainability Ethics in Supply Chain Management," Science and Engineering Ethics vol 11, pp.221-234 Beder, S 1995, “Engineers, Ethics and Sustainable Development," Paper presented to the 10th International Congress of Logic, Methodology and Philoshopy of Science, Florence, 1995. Casali, G 2007, “A Quest for Ethical Decision Making: Searching for the Holy Grail, and Finding the Sacred Trinity in Ethical Decision-Making by Managers,” Social Responsibility Journal 3(3):pp. 50-59 El-Zein, A., Airey, D. & Bowden, P., Clarkeburn, H. (2007). Sustainability and ethics as decision-making paradigms in engineering curricula. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 9(2), 170-182 Harris, C, Pritchard, M and Rabins, J. (2008). Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases International student edition .Cengage learning Kreiner, J, Flores, A & Krishnamurthy, S 2004, "Ethical Issues Facing Engineers and their Profession," International Conference on Engineering Education and Research "Progress Through Partnership", pp.203-208 Pfafflin, J. & Zieglar, E. (2010). Encyclopedia of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fifth Edition, Volumes One and Two. New York: Taylor and Francis Wang, Z, He, H. & Fan, M. (2014). The Ecological Civilization Debate in China. Monthly Review Nov 2014, 37-59 Wen, M. &Gu, D. (2012). Air Pollution Shortens Life Expectancy and Health Expectancy for Older Adults: The Case of China. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences 67(11), 1219–1229 Read More

1.0 Why the environment should be a concern for engineers According to Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011), the need for engineering ethics in environment is prompted by the link between the profession and the human progress. Particular reciprocal positions of clients, workmanship, employers, and peers in promoting human progress relative to environmental effects have also brought moral dilemmas in engineering practice. The ethical issue of engineering design has therefore, transformed into a fundamental issue of ensuring engineers take sufficient and special responsibility for the environment.

In this respect, normative ethics are important points of focus. As Harris et al (2008) mentions, ethics is substantially influenced by various items within the cultural landscape, such as environment, society, heritage, economy, informational technology and sustainability. Of particular concern is the advancement of technology, most of which have great potential to cause negative implications on the health of people and the environment. In fact, studies have established a link between the quality of environment and human health (Wang et al, 2014).

The vital components of life include food, air, and water that offer critical pathways for contaminants that affect human health. Studies have also linked exposure to pollutants through water, air, and soil contamination to health conditions like respiratory ailments, cancer, and breakdown of the nervous system (Wen & Gu, 2012).) Climate change is another critical issue of concern. According to Akhtaruzzaman et al (2011), the models of climate change have forecasted rise in sea level, change in patterns of rainfall and severe disruption of the weather patterns during the last century.

The culprits for climate change have been identified to be the greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. Historically, much of the carbon dioxide has been produced by carbon fossil fuel-consuming machineries designed by engineers. This established fact implies that engineers should consider mitigating climate change in their design processes. Abdul-Wahab et al (2003) also offered an account of environmental concerns that require ethical engineering. He suggested that the future has become increasingly complex and trickier to navigate safely through the various issues that confront humanity.

The humanity is confronted by uncertain future due to engineering works, which may cause costly energy, as well as potential catastrophic effects because of shortage of portable water, climate change, as well as the backfiring effects due to the use of synthetic chemicals. The occurrence of these issues is a concern as they happen in the face of swiftly mounting numbers of people, as well as the increased per capita income (Akhtaruzzaman et al, 2011). At the same time, new technologies abound, such as nuclear fusion reactors, robots, nanobots, interconnected data highways, and wireless systems.

In which case, use of such technologies has been encouraged. Engineering plays a crucial role in social, human, cultural, and economic development goals, specifically sustainable development. Indeed, sustainable development is a key challenge in addressing the existing human needs from natural resources, energy, industrial commodities, shelter, transportation, as well as waste management while simultaneously enhancing the environmental health (Abdul-Wahab et al 2003). Based on the above review, it is critical to argue that the three critical issues needed to be balanced in ethical engineering include economic welfare, social equity, and ecological health.

This assumption is rooted in the ethical commitment to the well-being of the contemporary population, as well as the security and improved opportunities of future generations (Akhtaruzzaman et al 2011). 2.0 The significance of provisions requiring environmental safeguarding The codes of engineering ethics specify several provisions to ensure that engineers take the needs of their employers, clients, public, and their profession into perspective.

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