Engineering's role in the global push for sustainability

摘要

In this, the Year of the Young Engineer, one of our four main goals is to provide a voice to young engineers. This month I take the opportunity to highlight an issue which many young engineers see as vitally important now and for our future. One of the current buzz words about the engineering profession is sustainability. It's all around us. University courses exist on sustainability, and New Zealand is home to a Society for Sustainability Engineering and Science. This year heralds the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. The World Engineering Convention (WEC2004) held in China late last year, attended by a Young Engineers Australia (YEA) delegation, saw more than 3000 engineers from around the world gather to discuss the theme "Engineers shape the sustainable future".