Engineering: issues, challenges and opportunities for development ...

ENGINEERING: ISSUES CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENTsocial checks and balances to correct for systemic distortionprior to catastrophic failures.’Engineering and engineering educationThe engineering profession possesses the power to bring aboutchange and can ensure that solutions are devised that reallyhelps solve the problem of this major challenge of climatechange facing the world. There are several steps that need to betaken. Firstly, engineers and scientists have to work with governmentsto ensure that policies are devised that have a rationalbasis, that they are based on adequate analysis, and that thereis a clear evaluation of options and their outcomes. What is alsocritically important is to introduce some degree of training forengineers, perhaps right at the level of basic engineering education,by which attention can be directed to some of the criticalchallenges that confront the profession in meeting the threat ofclimate change. The same importance applies equally to measuresthat address mitigation and adaptation. In the case of adaptation,if we take an example such as excessive, frequent and verysevere floods, then we need a totally enhanced infrastructure toprotect life and property. Looking at the problem of cloudburstsand extreme precipitation events, we can see that we requiremore efficient drainage systems.All of this can be introduced at the level of basic engineeringeducation so that young people who graduate and enter theengineering professions can focus on some of these problemsand possible solutions far more effectively. This is somethingin which the lead needs to be taken by the engineering professionsthemselves, and it is important that this is communicatedto the engineering profession.ConclusionWhile not wanting to create a nightmare scenario, we havebeen very surprised by some of the facts and findings thathave come out of the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC,and what causes most concern is the fact that there is an acceleration,not only of changes related to the climate but also theimpacts that are associated with them. There is therefore asense of urgency that we all need to accept and act on becauseonly then will we be able to come up with solutions that aretimely and effective that – as the above quotation from Gandhisuggests – will help us move away from deficiencies, distortionsand, most importantly, self-deception.This contribution is based on the 2007 international lecture by Dr R. K.Pachauri entitled Global Climate Change: the role of Science and Technologyin Mitigation And Adaptation presented at the Royal Academyof Engineering, London, on 3 October 2007. The contribution wasprepared prior to the financial/ economic crisis beginning in September2008, although the case presented above remains essentially thesame over the longer term. While global GDP has declined, the impacton longer term trends, and the need for investment into improvedenergy, transportation and related GHG-reducing technologies in unchanged.6.1.9Disaster risk reductionBadaoui RouhbanIntroductionNatural disaster loss is on the rise. The vulnerability of thehuman and physical environment to the violent forces ofnature is increasing. In many parts of the world, disasters causedby natural hazards (such as earthquakes, floods, windstorms,landslides, drought, wildfires, tsunami and volcanic eruptions)have caused the loss of human lives, injury, homelessness, andthe destruction of economic and social infrastructure. Overthe last few years, there has been an increase in the occurrence,severity and intensity of natural disasters, highlightedby the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, the major Kashmirearthquake in Pakistan, hurricane Katrina in the USA, theNargis cyclone in Myanmar and the Sichuan earthquake inChina. Losses from human-induced disasters (such as conflict,war, structural collapses and famine) are considerably addingto the toll. Recent oil spills, plane crashes, bridge and buildingcollapses, and so on act as frequent and tragic reminders ofcalamities provoked by everyday human activity.Preparing for disaster emergencies and facing future hazards isa global source of concern. Indeed, population growth, urbanization,alteration of the natural environment, sub- standarddwellings and construction, inadequate infrastructure maintenance,global climate change and grinding poverty in numerouscommunities are all exacerbating the risks of disasters.Whereas natural hazards are often unexpected or uncontrollablenatural events of varying magnitude, reduction of risksstemming from such events is both possible and feasible if thesciences and technologies related to natural hazards are properlyapplied through engineering.Advances in the technology of disaster risk reductionScience and technology help us to understand the mechanismsof natural hazards having atmospheric, geological, hydrologicaland biological origins, and to analyse the transformation ofthese hazards into disasters. Knowledge of the mechanisms ofviolent forces of nature is made up of an orderly system of factsthat have been learned from study, experiment and observationof natural phenomena and their impacts on humankindand the environment. The scientific and technological disciplinesinvolved include basic and engineering sciences, natural,social and human sciences. They relate to the hazard environment(i.e. hydrology, geology, geophysics, seismology, volcanology,meteorology and biology), to the built environment(i.e. engineering, architecture and materials) and to the policyenvironment (i.e. sociology, humanities, politics and management).Engineering science has contributed considerably to disasterrisk reduction. They have led to remarkable innovations in pre-272