The question is rather simpler and commonsensical than it appears to be, and if one

thinks otherwise, he or she is betraying the calling of what it means to be a true

engineer, both his or her duty to people and to our dear world in its entirety. It is
high time for us engineers to give a hearing to environmental activists. We cannot
afford to destroy anymore the only habitat that was entrusted to our care. We are
called to help the environment, and it is a non-negotiable notion. Let us face and
confess our blunders to our Creator -- we have become part the problem to the
ever-growing harm we have constantly dealt upon the earth, but the solution is also
in our hands. This is the grand irony of the role of any true engineer.
The environmental debate has been going on for over forty years now and still
continues to be a burning
topic on the agenda, both politically and socially. Unfortunately, in engineering, the
environment has only been discussed over a short period of time. There have been
major discussions and talks about engineers needing to be educated about the
environment, an area that has been neglected in past education. Engineers are not
only expected to have some form of environmental education but also to take an
active role in helping to solve environmental problems. This idea has come about
because time and again, engineers are seen as the problem but also the solution to
the environmental problems.
Travers (1994) cannot agree more, for many of the environmental problems of the
present have been made possible by technical developments for which the
engineering profession has been at least in part responsible. On the other hand,
many of the solutions to the same problems are also technical and, again, within the
responsibility of the engineer. Although this may sound simple in theory, it is harder
to achieve in practice.
The resounding phrase sustainable development promotes social, technical, and
economic progress while tackling climate change and environmental protection.
Sustainable development is the major catalyst of the development of environmental
engineering as a discipline, and the United Nations urges its partner-nations to be
always aligned on the objective of mobilizing efforts in taking care of nature and
ensuring that no one is left behind in this mission.
In addition to this, engineers of today are pressured and encouraged to think and
practice along this path of sustainable development, cleaner production, greener
technology, ecological design, waste prevention and recycling, energy efficiency,
resource conservation and environmental protection. All of these are key topics in
the future of engineering development and fall into this new study area of
environmental engineering.
Environmental engineering is undoubtedly an important area and will expand in the
future as the
environmental problems worsen, and it seems that it would continue to worsen if
engineers choose to be apathetic on discussions about environmental issues. If this
is the likely scenario facing the planet in the future, there will be a higher demand

for more environmental specialists, namely: environmental engineers, to find

solutions to environmental problems. Such achievements can only come about with
proper education and training. I can be part of the solution, and so can you.
Without a doubt, the products of human ingenuity have brought us to greater
heights of scientific and technological advancement. However, as time went by,
people seemed to prefer progress over the sacrifice made by the environment, and
now, we have committed ourselves to an almost irreversible damage on our part. It
is often said, Earth does not need us, but we need her, and I believe we are
beginning to reap the consequences. As a budding engineer, I resolve to help the
world be a better place in the best way that I can. More than the hopes of landing
on a good job and earning big, as engineers we must also embrace our prerogative
to fix the damage of the past. We must work for a loftier and nobler cause which
benefits all of mankind, and that must include saving the environment.