Faculty of Science and Engineering

Assignment front cover sheet

SECTION A – TO BE COMPLETED BY THE STUDENT

Module Civil Engineering design project Module 6CV008

Title Code
Assignment Civil Engineer’s contribution to Assignment 1
Title economic, social, environmental and Number
sustainability issues.
Student’s Student’s
Name Number
Lecturer’s
Name
I confirm that:
 I have been given a copy of the assessment criteria relating to this assignment
 I understand the meaning of the terms Cheating, Collusion and Plagiarism
 All the work submitted is my own work
27.06.2016
Signature: Date

SECTION B – TO BE COMPLETED BY MODULE LEADER/TEAM

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Signed:………………………………………….. Print Name:………………………………..........................

Date: ……………………………………………. Unconfirmed Mark ……………………………………..
 Civil Engineer’s contribution to
economic, social, environmental and
sustainability issues.

Report

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Table of Contents

1.Introduction...................................................................................................................................4

2. What is Sustainability?................................................................................................................5

3.Engineering and sustainability......................................................................................................5

3.1 The role of engineers in sustainability.......................................................................................6

3.2 Features of sustainable development.........................................................................................6

4. Factors supporting Sustainability................................................................................................6

4.1 Economic Development.............................................................................................................6

4.2 Social Development...................................................................................................................7

4.3 Environmental Protection..........................................................................................................8

CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9

Bibliography..................................................................................................................................10

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 1. Introduction

Civil engineers contribute solutions to sustainable development and green design issues.
Commitment to this challenge requires that civil engineers concede their professional duty, also
extend their knowledge base, and participate in all levels of policy decisions. Working as
primary individuals in the design of many essential systems, civil engineers may not be
sufficiently responding to these challenges. Even though the task is large, the civil engineering
profession has an undeniable responsibility, ultimately could lead toward personal and
professional accomplishments. Civil engineers have a professional responsibility to broaden the
understanding of policymakers, owners, and key stakeholders, which may in turn demand
sustainable design. Environmental matters included protected species preservation, natural
habitat disruption, biodiversity levels, pond water quality, contaminated land removal, employee
journeys linked to gas emissions, demolition waste salvage, green space usage and energy
consumption

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2. What is Sustainability?
Sustainability can be defined as of how natural systems function, varies and produce everything
it needs for the ecology to remain in balance. It also allows the human civilization to take
resources to sustain our modern way of life. Society, environment and economy are the three
basic essential categories for human beings survival. Certain events let us know throughout
human history where a civilization has damaged its own environment and seriously affected its
own survival probabilities. Sustainability indicates how we might live in harmony with the
natural world around us, protecting it from damage and destruction.

3.Engineering and sustainability

The theory of engineering is the application of scientific and mathematical principles for
practical purposes such as the manufacture and design and operations of products and processes,
at the same time, accounting for constraints supplicated by economics, and the environmental
and sociological factors. Engineering have brought through many technical difficulties.
Engineering has always been a significant contributor to economical development, standard of
living, well-being of the society and its impact on the cultural development and environment.
Engineering is an evolving profession and engineering education is correspondingly changing all
the time.

People live in a modern, commercial and largely urban existence throughout the developed world
and we consume a lot of natural resources by the minute. People in urban areas consume more
power than those who live in rural areas and also urban zones use a lot more power than average,
providing the streets and public buildings with light, and to power appliances, heating and other
public and household power requirements. This does not mean that sustainable living should
only focus on people who live in urban centres, improvements must be made everywhere. Study
has shown that is estimated that we use about 40% more resources every year more than the
previous year. The concept of sustainability and sustainable development concentrates more on
balancing between competing needs - the need to move forward technologically and
economically, also the needs to shelter the environments in which we and others live.

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Sustainability is not just regarding the environment, moreover it’s about our health as a society in
ensuring that no people or areas of life suffer as a result of environmental regulations.

3.1 The role of engineers in sustainability

Engineers maintains, enhances, or improves its environmental, social, cultural, and economic
resources in such a way to support present and future community members in pursuing the
healthy, productive and happy lives can very well be obtained.

3.2 Features of sustainable development

 Achieving and living within environmental goals

 Guaranteeing a strong , healthy and justified society,
 Improving good governance,
 Accomplishing a sustainable development with an efficient economy
 Engineers have a responsibility to increase the value of their activity to build a
sustainable planet. In order to perceive attainable goal and recognition of the changes
over time and demand of the society.
 Emphasize the important potential role for engineering
 Emphasize about the environmental limits and finite resources

4. Factors supporting Sustainability

4.1 Economic Development

The most problematic issue is the economic development, as most people disagree on political
ideology what is and is not economical, also consideration of how it will affect businesses and by
extension, jobs and employability. It is also about providing encouragement for businesses and
other organizations to stick to sustainability guidelines beyond their normal legislative
necessities. To encourage and foster encouragements for the average person to do their bit
whenever wanted. One person can rarely achieve much, although as a group, effects in some

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areas are cumulative. The supply and demand market consumes nature and modern life requires
a lot of resources every single day for the environment. Receiving what we consume under
control is the paramount issue. Economic development is keeping the quality of life while giving
people what they want.

4.2 Social Development

Social development consists of many faces. Most importantly is awareness of and laws of
protection of the health of people from pollution and other harmful activities by business and
other organizations. Especially in the developed countries, there are strong checks and
programmes of laws and legislations in place to ensure that people's health and wellness is
strongly protected. Furthermore it is about maintaining access to basic resources without
compromising the quality of life. The most popular subject for many people right now is
sustainable housing and how to better build the homes people live in from sustainable material.
Finally the component is education. It is encouraging people to participate in sustainability of
environment and teaching them about the effects of environmental protection as well as warning
of the dangers if we cannot achieve our goals.

Social matters included public transport access, centralised services access, disabled persons
accessibility, Council performance, and community ownership of and participation in the
redevelopment process

 Got to be cautious to the cost reductions that masquerade as value engineering.

 Fact of being creative and innovational.
 Awareness of knowledge and needs and wants.
 Dedication to risk assessment professionals to safety assessments or ethical risk.
 Services contributed to worthy, non – profit groups and projects
 Denying work on a specific project or for a company.
 Rights decisions made for right things.
 Scheduling and administration which is valuable.

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  Commitment of engineering faculties for educating future engineers about their social
and moral responsibilities.
 Designing and developing sustainable technologies by engineers
 Care and concern about technology’s impact on nature and the environment.
 The safety and well-being guaranteeing to the public

4.3 Environmental Protection

The environment needs protection, it can be recycling, power consumption reduction by

switching electronic devices off rather than using standby, or by walking short rides instead of
taking the bus. To prevent pollution, businesses are regulated to keep their carbon emissions low.
There are motives to installing renewable power sources in homes and business places.
Environmental protection is the third factor , also the primary concern of the future of human
race. It’s a study of protecting ecosystems, air quality, integrity and sustainability of resources
and focusing on the basics that place stress on the environment. Also concerns how technology
will drive the greener future.

Figure 1-Three dimensions for sustainability

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CONCLUSION

For the global economic development and environmental protection, sustainable development
has become as an accepted convention since the ending of the twentieth century. Engineers play
an important role for this sustainable development and a defensive wall. The environment is
made up of an intermix of systems of air, water, land, organic and inorganic substance and living
organisms. Conserving a healthy environment for present and future generations requires the
group effort of the general public, companies and organizations and each and every rank of
government personnel. By means of a balanced, organized approach, we can protect the health,
prosperity, and environmental integrity of the society. People can safeguard energy, choose for
environmentally accountable products, and modify their behaviour. Companies and
organizations can develop environmental supervision tactics, and cut down emissions and waste
from their operations, adopt environmentally responsible practices as well. Administering
legislation can be continued by the government, also establishing public policy, and delivering
programs and services, likewise participating in local, countrywide, and worldwide
environmental proposals, finally managing its own operations conscientiously. However, each
and every above mentioned strategy are tackled by different rank of engineers. Scientists and
engineers are required to protect our environment in terms of inventing safe elemental
substances, recyclable and renewable energy resources, and sustainable environment and so on to
ensure a betterment of life for the present and future generation

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Bibliography

 Parkin, Sustainable development: the concept and practical challenge, in Sustainable

development: Making it happen. Special Issue of Civil Engineering. Journal of the
Institution of Civil Engineers, Special Issue two of Volume 138, 2000, pp 38.

 Edmond Byrne, Cheryl Desha, John Fitzpatrick and Karlson Hragorves”Engineering

Education for for Sustainable development” A review of international progress,
proceedins of 3rd International Symposium for Engineering Education, 2010, University
College Cork, Ireland.(Accessed date 27.06.2016)

 Diamond, J. 2005: Collapse: How Complex Societies Choose to Fail or Survive. New
York: Penguin. (Accessed date 27.06.2016)

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