Reader's response to the article ‘Why The Climate Fight Needs Engineers’ (Draft 2)

Hello,

For my today's post, I am going to write about my reader response to the article in the previous post, (Why The Climate Fight Needs Engineers: http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/).

In the article "Why the climate fight needs engineers", Shah (2015) emphasised the importance of having competent engineers who are able to help in overcoming the sustainable challenges Singapore faces. The writer agrees with the experts who belief it is essential for engineers to solve the rising climate changes in Singapore. Hence, the Engineer Progression Pathway programme aids engineers to develop professional and technical skills to combat global environment issues. According to Edwin Khew, deputy president of IES and also chairman of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore, Asian cities are affected by climate change such as experiencing extreme weather events such as floods, extreme high temperatures and droughts, water shortages, and rising sea levels due to screaming increase population growth and urban development. She further quotes Edwin Khew that “Sustainable engineering solutions will be in strong demand, and engineers will see tremendous opportunities, both locally and regionally” to support the need of engineers to flight climate change. I agree that engineers will be the ones playing the greater part in finding solutions to fight climate change and executing them. They will be working in collaboration with engineers from other disciplines.

In the article “Why The Climate Fight Need Engineers” Vaidehi (2015), the writer does not directly state that climate fight needs engineers. However, by citing the new schemes introduced for engineers in Singapore and quoting various authorities in the field, she is agreeing that engineers will be the ones playing the crucial role in not just managing climate change but also for numerous other developments in Singapore.  

Vaidehi also mentions Singapore has launched a new programme for engineers which will boost their long-term job prospects and provide the country with the skilled professionals it needs to address future challenges posed by climate change. The launching of this programme further emphasises the fundamental role that engineering expertise will play in Singapore and Asia Pacific region's fight against climate change. Singapore would not have launched this three-tier programme if the country does not see the importance of and the need for engineers. Another example that shows the importance of engineers and engineering, is the competition called The Engineering Feats by the Singapore Institution of Engineers that aims to identify innovations that contributed to Singapore's economic growth (Jean, July 2015). They are needed to innovate and find solutions for problems and execute them.

Now coming back to the topic ‘Why The Climate Fight Need Engineers’ Edwin Khew, deputy president of IES and chairman of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore at the Engineers and Sustainable Development Forum 2015 said that ‘urbanisation and rapid population growth have increased the vulnerability of Asian cities to climate change. Cities are already experiencing extreme weather events such as floods, extreme high temperatures and droughts, water shortages, and rising sea levels’. If Singapore and the Asia Pacific region are to handle this problem, then engineering expertise is essential in climate fight.

To manage climate, the energy sector, which is the greatest contributor to greenhouse gases, has to be managed. ‘Solving this challenge will take innovations in numerous areas including renewable energy, electric vehicles, and energy efficiency, but ultimately, it is the engineers who will have to demonstrate an understanding of how these technologies work together in a broader, truly sustainable manner‘ noted Sanjay Kuttan, director and country manager of the Clean Technology Centre, DNV GL. It is clear from this, that engineers are the key persons who can devise that creative solutions Kuttan talks about and execute them. 

Climate scientists can only identify the causes for climate change and maybe provide solutions but it is the engineers who will have to find ways to come up with workable and sustainable solutions.  Tan Gee Paw, chairman of Singapore’s national water agency PUB, agreed, noting that it was systems engineering that helped Singapore tackle its water crisis over the past several decades. Now, it is also systems engineering that will help Singapore deal with the impact of climate change on its water supply (Jean, July 2015). So, I will end my response by reiterating there will always be a need for engineering expertise in the region to design and build reliable infrastructure to fight climate change.

References:

Alexandra Meldrum FIEAust CPEng FIChemE FAICD, (2014). Retrieved Friday 22 August 2014, from https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/portal/news/engineers-play-critical-role-innovation-and-entrepreneurship

Jean Chua, (2015). Engineering plays crucial role in climate change. Retrieved Tuesday 28 July 2015, from http://www.eco-business.com/news/engineering-plays-crucial-role-in-climate-change/

Rob awlor, (2013). Engineering in society. Retrieved from http://www.raeng.org.uk/publications/reports/engineering-in-society

S.P. Nichols and W.F. Weldon. Professional responsibility:

The role of engineering in society. Retrieved from http://www.me.utexas.edu/~srdesign/paper/

Vaidehi Shah, (2015). Why the climate fight needs engineers. Retrieved Monday 8 June 2015, from http://www.eco-business.com/news/why-the-climate-fight-needs-engineers/ 

Cheers!

Edited on the 2 Oct 2015 (0135)