Engineers, Society, And Sustainability

Sustainable development is one of the key challenges of the twenty-first century. The engineering profession is central to achieving sustainable development. To date engineering contributions to sustainability have focused on reducing environmental impacts of development and improving the efficiency of resources. This approach is consistent with dominant policy responses to the environmental problems which have been characterized as ecological modernization. Ecological modernization assumes that sustainability can be addressed by reforming modern society and developing environmental technologies. Environmental philosophers have questioned these assumptions and call into question the very nature of modern society as underlying the destruction of nature and the persistence of social inequality. Central to the crises of ecology and human development are patterns of domination and the separation of nature and culture. This book addresses the roles that engineers and engineering play in balancing these conditions in ways that foster sustainability.