Engineers Without Borders UK is leading a movement to put global responsibility at the heart of engineering through a new strategy. The organisation aims to radically change the current culture in the engineering sector to ensure a safe and just future for all.
“Engineering continues to rely on unsustainable methods and research shows how engineering education need to adapt, including education within our profession at large. We urgently need to act! We urgently need to balance the needs of all people with the needs of our planet,” said Emma Crichton, Head of Engineering at Engineers Without Borders UK.
Engineers Without Borders UK will be accelerating its efforts to inspire, upskill and drive change within the sector – engaging 500,000 practising and student engineers by 2030. Through corporate partnerships and advocacy, workshops and university Design Challenges, it intends to bring globally responsible engineering to the mainstream.
Its strategy also calls for those in the sector to make a commitment to the four key principles – transforming how engineers, at both an individual and organisational level, practice their profession; these are:
- Responsibility – to meet the needs of all people within the limits of our planet – a tenet at the heart of engineering.
- Purposefulness – to consider all the impacts of engineering, from a project or product’s inception to the end of its life. This should be at a global and local scale, for people and planet.
- Inclusivity – to ensure that diverse viewpoints and knowledge are included and respected in the engineering process.
- Regeneration – to actively restore and regenerate ecological systems, rather than just reducing impact.
“Our strategy will provide the inspiration and tools to mainstream globally responsible engineering by embedding these principles across education and industry. It is an ambitious strategy but the scale of the challenge demands this. By bringing together thousands of people and organisations, we will develop unstoppable momentum towards achieving social and environmental justice through engineering,” said Crichton.
[Image: Fateme Alaie for Unsplash]
