The Role of Environmental Engineering
Environmental engineering is central to a sustainable future.
Oct 21, 2008
Environmental engineering incorporates the following elements:
- ecology
- geology
- chemistry
- biology
- public health
- civil engineering
- chemical engineering
- agricultural engineering
- mechanical engineering
- environmental law
The goal of the practice of environmental engineering is to provide for an adequate standard of living, i.e. sufficient food, water, shelter, and mobility for a growing world population without exceeding the limits of the natural environment.
Environmental engineering also seeks to minimize environmental impacts of current human practices. This includes designing products and processes that incorporate environmental and social constraints as well as economic considerations into engineering decisions. Environmental engineering is the practice of the science of environmental sustainability.
Environmental Pollution
The discipline covers the business of pollution control of air and water, waste disposal and recycling. This includes monitoring and removing chemical, thermal, radioactive, mechanical or biological pollutants through the application of:
- process engineering
- environmental chemistry
- water and sewage treatment
- waste management
- pollution prevention and cleanup.
Environmental engineers also monitor indoor air quality in the working environment and public health issues. Environmental engineers understand the environmental impact of many pollutions sources such as automobile exhaust and industrial emissions from manufacturing. This means environmental engineers have the knowledge to build pollution control devices and systems, or even design new processes to replace old ones.
Environmental Design
Resource recycling and reuse also require environmental engineers. Using wastes as inputs in other processes and reduces resource consumption in order to minimize environmental damage. Environmental engineers may also be asked to study the potential environmental impact of new building developments.
They also design municipal water supply systems and study such environmental factors as acid rain, ozone depletion, and hazardous waste pollution. Environmental engineering careers also include research in renewable technologies like wind energy and ethanol production.
Other Environmental Careers
However, the greening of industry is creating a variety of new careers within the field of environmental engineering. New careers include bio-mimicry engineers and green architects. Bio-mimicry involves the imitation of various adaptations used by living organisms in nature for solving engineering problems.
For example, Atlanta's Sto Corp. created a self-cleaning paint that repels dirt whenever it gets wet, based on the lotus leaf. Green architects design and build with the building’s environmental footprint in mind. With an increasing focus on energy-efficient buildings and standards like LEED, architects and developers are getting certified to become specialists in green design.
Environmental Future
It is likely that at some point in the future, governments will put a price on waste, like valuing carbon and pollution. Conversely, companies see new revenue streams in green technologies and social responsibility. Goldman Sachs, for example, has invested heavily in the wind industry. Earlier this year, Tyson Foods and ConocoPhillips jointly announced plans to make diesel fuel from chicken fat.
A study of major global trends by the Economic development Board of Singapore concluded that of five key growth areas for Singapore’s future, three are clean energy, environment and water, natural resources. Massive populations in the world’s developing countries such as India and China are also in need of environmental engineers in their course of economic progress.
In short, a well known statement from the Brundtland Report, 1987 says that sustainable development is that which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This is exactly what environmental engineering aims to do.
