Sustainable Development and the ASCE Code of Ethics

Prior to its 1997 revision, the ASCE Code of Ethics only peripherally addressed the interaction of the engineer with the environment. Engineers seeking guidance on their professional responsibility found that only on issues where their actions harmed other human beings was the Code useful. In other words, the Code of Ethics did not address environmentally damaging actions that were not clearly detrimental to the “health, safety, or welfare of the public.” Recognition by the ASCE leadership that civil engineers face daily issues concerning environmental quality prompted the Society to modify its Code of Ethics to include a statement on “sustainable development.” Sustainable development is the concept that we can continue to develop and change the environment, but that we should do so in a way that will not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In this paper, we first examine the origin of the need to include the sustainable development clause in the Code of Ethics, and then, to examine the usefulness of this modification to the Code, concluding that its addition does not seem to prevent blatant environmental destruction. Most importantly, the sustainable development option does not offer assistance to engineers seeking guidance on their actions toward the environment. Finally, we offer one code that, although radical in its approach, clearly states the responsibility of engineers toward the environment, and recommend that the ASCE consider modifying its own Code of Ethics to reflect some of the principles in the alternative code.