Environment and Engineering - Research Paper Example

Environment and Engineering Name Institutional Affiliation Date Environment and Engineering Executive Summary Due to the rapid population growth, there is a challenge in meeting the human needs because of the scarce natural resources that are available. This is where the engineers come in in the development of technologies to try and balance the sustainable use of resources while at the same time meets the needs of the society. This report has, therefore, justified that the engineers are indeed concerned with the environment, and the professional code of ethics necessitates them to be environmentally-conscious. The report has highlighted some of the environmental aspects and issues where engineers are most relevant in. The role of engineers in environmental management has also been highlighted in the report with the most central one being the development of technologies that are geared towards environmental conservation. Additionally, the report has found the gap that exists in the engineering code of ethics concerning societal protection and has given recommendations on how to fill the gap. The report has recommended the practicing engineers need to be given guidance and advice on how to use their expertise towards environmental conservation. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Role of Engineers 4 Engineering Professional Ethics 6 Ethical Aspects of the Environment 7 Engineering for the Environment 8 Renewable Energy 9 Alternative Transport 9 Waste Management and Water 9 Challenges during the Study 10 Lessons Learnt 11 Recommendations 11 Competencies 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction Engineering and Engineers play a crucial role in the cultural, economic, and human development which is aimed towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (Crooks, 2002). Currently, there is a challenge which concerns meeting the human requirements and needs from the scarce natural resources. Engineers then have come in trying to address this problem through the use of modern technologies (Crooks, 2002). Therefore, the engineers are concerned with the environment since they strive to improve the quality of the socioeconomic and biophysical urban environment as well as the promotion of the principles which surround sustainable development (Crooks, 2002). The paper will focus on the evaluation of whether the environment is a concern for the engineers and the role of an engineer in environmental issues. It will also assess the ethical issues and aspects of the environment and their relevance to the engineers. Role of Engineers Engineers have a professional and ethical responsibility for environmental problems even in times when they do not impact the human welfare directly (Sikdar, 2003). Since technology has resulted in many environmental challenges, the engineers are obligated to have the responsibility of these environmental concerns primarily because technology is an integral part of that profession and they also have the capacity to find a remedy to many of these problems (Sikdar, 2003). After all, the engineers are one of the major participants in essentially most of the projects that impact the environment whether positively or negatively (Sikdar, 2003). In my opinion, if a significant number of engineers refused to make a contribution of their professional skills to some of the environmentally constructive projects, then the result would be the development of more projects or modification of the same which would, in turn, result in high levels of environmental devastation. One of the things that elevate the engineering profession to the high-level profession that it is the duty that is associated with it when it comes serving and safeguarding the public ahead of the personal, client, or employer’s interests (Minteer, & Collins, 2008). From this acknowledgement flows the role of engineers as the environment caretakers; engineers have a rather significant social responsibility. Engineers possess some highly specialized skills and knowledge which is what makes the public to trust and rely on them in developing projects for the public benefit (Minteer, & Collins, 2008). Therefore, in my opinion, with the power that engineers have, the public becomes vulnerable to abuse by the engineers which is what presents the unique obligations and high standards that need to be achieved by these engineers. This then shows the responsibility of the engineers to play the role of advocating for environmental protection and safety. Engineers are often called upon for seeking the solutions for the challenges that have some far reaching effects on the society. Most of the solutions to these problems often require responsible and careful application of some scientific principles (Mullan, Caitlin, & Bertness, 2006). Additionally, the expectations that are placed upon engineers usually change as per the cultural evolutions of the societies within which they practice their profession (Mullan, Caitlin, & Bertness, 2006). Currently, since the effects of environmental degradation on humans are significant and have reached a global scale, the global concerns regarding the environmental outcome of the engineering designs have also been widely taken into consideration (Mullan, Caitlin, & Bertness, 2006). This is one of the primary reasons for engineers being said to possess a caretaker role of the environment and the society at large. Professional engineers also possess a significant role regarding meeting environmental sustainability (Crawley et al., 2008). Their work is to improve public safety, health, and welfare and at the same time ensuring minimum utilization of natural resources while paying attention to environmental and sustainability of resources. Additionally, engineers bring forward solutions and options which maximize social value while at the same time minimizing environmental impact (Crawley et al., 2008). Therefore, I think that a purely environment-friendly approach towards mitigating these effects is not sufficient. This means that engineers will have the obligation of adapting a wider perspective which will include global and local connections social justice, and poverty alleviation. This broader approach will then offer the engineers with valuable opportunities to promote change through sharing good practice and experiences. Engineering Professional Ethics One of the ethics of the engineers stipulates that all the engineers need to hold safety, welfare, and health concerns of the public above their obligations to their employers and clients (Schinzinger & Martin, 2000). However, in my opinion, unlike other professions like medicine and law, the engineering profession has offered little guidance to the engineers regarding their prioritizing public good aside from in some extreme cases like the ones related to whistle-blowing and the sort. In the case that an engineer encounters some immediate threats to the public safety, the engineers are supposed to alert the relevant authorities. If the threats are not handled in the appropriate manner, then the engineers are required to raise a flag regarding the incompetency of the particular authorities in dealing with threats. Aside from this whistle blowing responsibility, the engineers lack the clear guidelines in ensuring the safety of the public. It is my opinion that the role of engineers in ensuring public safety through environmental protection is contradicted by the lack of clear guidelines in their professional ethics on how to do the same. In the past, there were no conflicts that existed between the public and self-interests for the engineers (Schinzinger & Martin, 2000). This was because the engineering profession typically worked to oversee the human progress. However, recently, the environmental issues have led to the divergence between the public interest professional interest, employer interests, and the self-interests. One of the prime causes of this change is the need to strike a balance between the ecological awareness, and the economic realism (Schinzinger & Martin, 2000). In the development of this consensus, engineers play a significant role. This is because they are responsible for the development of technical details regarding environmental impacts, and encouraging institutions and corporations to show concern for the environment. Engineers also assist in setting up policies that will oversee this consensus being reached which will, in turn, make this consensus to become economically feasible (Schinzinger & Martin, 2000). Ethical Aspects of the Environment The concept of environmental management embodies various mechanisms that combine sustainability, economic growth during the production processes, sustainability, and technological processes (Nagy, 2014). Therefore, the environmental management system is said to have been efficiently implemented in any field or organization when it significantly contributes to the enhancement of competitiveness with a notable reduction of the detrimental environmental impact (Nagy, 2014). Additionally, among the central reasons that accord great importance in environmental management is professional ethics which is where engineering comes in. The professional ethics of the engineering field requires engineers to identify technologies as well as implement actions which will lead to improved environmental performance (Nagy, 2014). This, in my opinion, will also enhance or already improves the economic efficiencies. This is because a balance will be stricken between the utilization of natural resources as well as economic prosperity. This trickles down to the engineers having to lay an increasing emphasis when it comes to the notion of enhanced sustainability. The sustainability aspect includes sustainable economic development, sustainable environment, sustainable rural development, sustainable agriculture sustainable food security, and so on (Nagy, 2014). This then necessitates engineers to focus on the development of new analytical tools and instruments which will be aimed at addressing three principal measurement areas. These areas include theoretical tools, field measurement, and laboratory analysis (Nagy, 2014). These measurement areas would significantly aid engineers to address several environmental challenges like monitoring and sampling air, waste water utilities, energy use, and soil (Nagy, 2014). Therefore, this shows that engineers play a very significant role when it comes to the maintenance of the ethical aspects of the environment. Engineering for the Environment As discussed above, ethical issues and aspects of environmental management are significantly intertwined with engineers and the engineering field. The following section has highlighted some of the aspects of the environment where the engineers practice their professional skills and therefore, where their relevance falls. Renewable Energy Loads of energy exists around us which includes the sunshine, the wind, and the heat that comes from the core of the earth. The problem has been and still is working out and evaluating how to harness this types of energy (Harris et al., 2013). This is evidently a mechanical engineering issue. The lack of alternative sources of energy has led to people turning to the utilization of some non-renewable energy sources like coal, and carbon which cause detrimental environmental effects (Harris et al., 2013). Therefore, the engineers can come in handy in this measure to assist people in the utilization of renewable energy. For example, the electronic engineers could help in improving the effectiveness of solar panels so that more people could put this energy into use. Alternative Transport The current means of transport play a significant role in environmental air pollution. The exhaust fumes from the motor vehicles pollute the air in numerous ways which could potentially lead to detrimental health effects to humans (Harris et al., 2013). In my view, I consider the issue of transportation as a classic engineering challenge which means that the modern engineers have a great role in determining how to ensure that the modes of transportation are clean. By this, I do not necessarily imply that they need to design other efficient engines, but they could, for example, invent some new charging systems which could then make the technology of electric cars practical. Embracing such technologies will oversee the cleaner and more advanced transport systems being developed which will not have detrimental effects either to the environment or public health. Waste Management and Water This is another environmental issue that has posed significant challenges when it comes to environmental protection. Also, it is another environmental aspect where engineers are most relevant in (Harris et al., 2013). This is because just like other areas of the environment, engineers are vital when it comes to waste management and water conservation. This is in the sense that they are responsible for designing water supply systems which ensure that the available water is reliable and clean (Harris et al., 2013). Additionally, engineers have the obligation in developing waste treatment plants which I believe requires high technological levels that will oversee the monitoring of water quality as well. Challenges during the Study During gathering information for this study, several problems were encountered. One of the challenges was finding the correct and reliable information about the relevance of engineers in handling environmental aspects as well as the role that they play in protecting the environment. Additionally, not all the sources that were available were accurate. To overcome this, before I selected whether a source would support my point of argument, I first read the Reference notes and the Table of contents. If the source supported my argument, then I included it as my source. Regarding finding an accurate and reliable source, I browsed for some related sources of one source so that I could check for consistency. Another challenge that I faced in gathering the information for this report was maintaining consistency and coherency of the report. This was primarily because of the large volume of information that I obtained from the many sources I encountered which tended to lead me off the topic. Despite this, so that I could ensure I maintained consistency and coherency all through the report, I created an outline of the main ideas and the secondary points. Lessons Learnt One of the lessons I learned from creating this report is the huge role that engineers play in environmental protection. Also, it is not the engineering field alone; I learned that other professions like Law and Medicine are also integrated the environment in one way or the other. This lesson will enable me to be more environmentally conscious and use my field of profession towards practicing efficient environmental management. Recommendations The practicing engineers will need to be accorded with advice and guidance regarding environmental protection. The practicing engineers need to be advised and guided towards using their professional skills and expertise towards ensuring that they fulfil one of their professional code of ethics which is to oversee public safety, health, and welfare. Like the code of ethics of other professions, that of Engineering should clearly stipulate the guidelines for their social responsibility towards protecting people in the society as well as the role they play in sustainable development. Clear stipulation of these guidelines in the code of ethics will enable engineers to embrace the aspects of environmental protection in a more positive and straightforward manner unlike presently. Competencies I believe I would have demonstrated the comprehensive and a theory-based understanding of the underpinnings of the physical and natural sciences as well as the fundamentals of engineering which underpin the discipline of engineering. Environmental issues fall under natural sciences which are where I would apply this theory-based and comprehensive underpinning of the fundamentals of engineering. Following this, I would be competent in systematic research, evaluation, analysis and innovating solutions that would oversee the sustainable environmental practices and protection. I would also demonstrate the fluent application of the engineering resources, tools, and techniques in environmental protection. I would demonstrate this to the extent of proficiently identifying, selecting, and applying the resources, processes, systems, devices, components, and materials that are relevant to the engineering discipline towards developing technologies that would oversee environmental conservation. Conclusion Engineering plays a central role in the achievement of the MDGs. Engineers and the engineering profession is highly concerned with matters of the environment in various ways. This is evident through the role that engineers play in different aspects of the environment. One of the roles of engineers in the environment is that they are obligated to ensure the safety, welfare, and health of the society. Regarding addressing environmental issues and tackling various environmental aspects, engineers are accorded the responsibility of developing technologies which would ensure that the public is protected, and there are minimum detrimental impacts to the environment and minimal threats as well. Therefore, there is the need for the practicing engineers to be accorded proper guidance and advice as to how they can use their professional skills to enhance environmental management. References Crawley, E. F., Jianzhong, Z., Malmqvist, J., & Brodeur, D. R. (2008). On Engineering Education Environment [J]. Research in Higher Education of Engineering, 4: 13-21. Crooks, J.A. (2002). Characterizing ecosystem‐level consequences of biological invasions: the role of ecosystem engineers. Oikos, 97(2): 153-166. Harris Jr, C. E., Pritchard, M. S., Rabins, M. J., James, R., & Englehardt, E. (2013). Engineering ethics: Concepts and cases. London: Cengage Learning. Minteer, B. A., & Collins, J. P. (2008). From environmental to ecological ethics: toward a practical ethics for ecologists and conservationists. Science and engineering ethics, 14(4): 483-501. Mullan Crain, Caitlin, & Bertness, M. D. (2006). Ecosystem engineering across environmental gradients: implications for conservation and management. Bioscience, 56(3): 211-218. Nagy, A. (2014). The Role and Responsibility of the Environmental, Health & Safety Manager in establishing an organization’s commitment towards environmental stewardship and workplace safety [as elements of social responsibility]. Schinzinger, R. & Martin, W. (2000). Introduction to engineering ethics. New York: McGraw Hill Sikdar, S.K. (2003). Journey towards sustainable development: a role for chemical engineers. Environmental Progress, 22(4), pp.227-232. Read More