The Catch-22 of Engineering Sustainable Development

Abstract

The International Federation of Consulting Engineers FIDIC has recognized that engineers are “uniquely positioned to provide leadership in implementing sustainable development” FIDIC 2002, p. 7 . Because of their knowledge and skills and the central role that they play in the development of society, engineers have a “tremendous responsibility in the implementation of sustainable development” World Federation of Engineering Organisations WFEO 1997 . Professional engineers provide innovative, technically excellent, and cost effective solutions to society’s problems and are largely responsible for the high quality of life enjoyed by the world’s developed countries. But, sustainable development is a fundamentally different challenge for the profession, and engineers must evolve to meet this challenge. Unfortunately, at present, the profession is caught in a number of difficult Catch-22 situations, which constrain the ability of engineers to tackle sustainability issues in their work. Broadly, these situations can be described as 1 the problem of existing paradigms of development; 2 the problem of scope; 3 the problem of framing versus solving; 4 the problem of context; and 5 the problem of conventional education. The engineering profession must address these issues if it is to fulfill its responsibility in implementing sustainable development.