Relevant Engineering in 21st Century

Today, the greatest opportunities and challenges for the engineering profession are in the support of development that is economically and environmentally sustainable. Sustainable development will require a process of change in which the use of natural resources, the direction of investments, and the orientation of technological development are in harmony and enhance meeting both current and future human needs. Sustainable development will be the dominant economic, environmental, political, and social issue of the 21st century. Major engineering tasks for sustainable development are discussed. A program of action is outlined for civil engineers to make sustainable development possible. For better or for worse, our profession will create the built environment of the future, and will consume natural resources in the process. Our enduring handiwork will bear witness for decades as to whether we have respected the needs of future generations and have served society in ways that are relevant to the demands of a growing population.