James Ward sustainability lecture report

¶ … James Ward Sustainability lecture is a sobering reminder of the effects of industrialization and the modern, Western lifestyle upon the planet. For too long people on a policy level and an individual level have ignored the real costs of burning fossil fuels on a mass scale. The problem of global warming is that its consequences are not immediately obvious, and it is still denied by many, even though droughts, rising sea levels, floods, and the destruction of indigenous ways of life are already manifest -- all the result of rising temperature. Additionally, people in the developing world wish to enjoy the privileges and luxuries of Westerners, in a manner that is not sustainable for the planet as a whole. Sustainability is defined as "the ability to meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs" (Ward, Sustainability, Slide 2). The population is expanding, and so is the demand for consumer goods as well as basic necessities.

The need for fostering sustainability goes further than simply providing green alternatives: it also means containing the current population explosion worldwide, even while some nations are concerned about their rapidly aging populations and reductions in their birth rates. What is pleasurable or even good for a nation is not necessarily true of the world as a whole, and for the green movement to enact real changes, citizens must start to take a global perspective, and look at the effects that their individual actions have upon the world, not just within their towns or nations. Engineers must likewise begin to police themselves, and constantly question their professional ethics. Ward states that engineers should not pursue projects that tax rather than improve the current environmental state of the planet. It is often said that the eternal question of engineers is 'does this work,' but it is not enough to ask this question in relation to the short-term -- engineers must also think in terms of long-term sustainable development.

Response 2

'Greed is good.' Although few people today would openly agree with this sentiment, the equally damaging idea that 'growth is good' remains. Citizens of the developing world celebrate when the economy is growing and champion a rising national birth rate, which means a growing population of new consumers. However the James Ward Sustainability lecture underlines the fact that there must be a fundamental shift in attitude in terms of the way that population growth is viewed. The world's population growth is exploding and soon the world will not be able to sustain the needs of a rapidly-expanding population.