Engineering for Sustainable Development
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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Engineering for Sustainable Development Published in 2021 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France and International Center for Engineering Education (ICEE) under the auspices of UNESCO, Room 417, Wennan Building, Tshinghua University, Haidian District, Beijing 100084,P.R.China and Central Compilation and Translation Press (CCTP), Part B Hongru Building, #B-5 Chegongzhuang Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100044, P.R.China. © UNESCO 2021 UNESCO: ISBN 978-92-3-100437-7 CCTP: ISBN: 978-7-5117-3665-9 This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Cover design: Abracadabra Graphic design: Abracadabra and UNESCO/Aurélia Mazoyer Typeset: UNESCO/Aurélia Mazoyer Printed by UNESCO and ICEE Printed in France/China Engineering for Sustainable Development Delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals SHORT SUMMARY Engineering the SDGs The report highlights the crucial role of engineering in achieving each of the 17 SDGs. It shows how equal opportunities for all is key to ensuring an inclusive and gender balanced profession that can better respond to the shortage of engineers for implementing the SDGs. It provides a snapshot of the engineering innovations that are shaping our world, especially emerging technologies such as big data and AI, which are crucial for addressing the pressing challenges It is essential facing humankind and the planet. It analyses the transformation of engineering education and that more young people, capacity-building at the dawn of the Fourth Industrial Revolution that will enable engineers to especially girls, tackle the challenges ahead. It highlights the global consider effort needed to address the specific regional disparities, while summarizing the trends of engineering across the different regions of the world. engineering By presenting case studies and approaches, as as a career well as possible solutions, the report reveals why engineering is crucial for sustainable development and why the role of engineers is vital in addressing basic human needs such as alleviating poverty, supplying clean water and energy, responding to natural disasters, constructing resilient infrastructure, and bridging the development divide, among many other actions, leaving no one behind. It is hoped that the report will serve as a reference for governments, engineering organizations, academia and educational institutions, and industry to forge global partnerships and catalyse collaboration in engineering so as to deliver on the SDGs. ‘Since wars begin in the minds of men and women it is in the minds of men and women that the defences of peace must be constructed’ Engineering for Sustainable Development Table of Contents Foreword Director-General of UNESCO 4 ENGINEERING3. INNOVATIONS Foreword AND THE SUSTAINABLE Chinese Academy of Engineering DEVELOPMENT GOALS 56 and Tsinghua University 7 3.1 Engineering innovations to combat COVID-19 and improve human health 59 Acknowledgements 9 3.2 Water engineering for sustainable development 67 Introduction 10 3.2.1. Clean water and human health 69 3.2.2. Hydrology for the SDGs 74 3.3 Climate change – a climate emergency 79 3.4 Engineering: a crucial tool for disaster risk reduction 85 3.5 Developing sustainable and resilient ENGINEERING1. A MORE energy systems 90 SUSTAINABLE WORLD 16 3.6 Mining engineering for the future 95 3.7 Engineering and big data 100 3.8 Engineering and Artificial Intelligence 106 3.9 Engineering for smart cities 111 EQUAL2. OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL 40 2.1 Diversity and inclusion in engineering 43 2.2 Women in engineering 47 2.3 Young engineers and their role 51 2 Table of Contents | ∞ ENGINEERING4. EDUCATION AND CAPACITY-BUILDING FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 118 4.1 Engineering education for the future 121 4.2 Lifelong learning in engineering: an imperative to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 129 4.3 Engineers’ continuing professional development 136 REGIONAL5. TRENDS IN ENGINEERING 142 5.1 Major interregional trends 144 5.2 Europe and North America 151 5.3 Asia and the Pacific 159 5.4 Latin America and the Caribbean 166 5.5 Africa 172 5.6 Arab States 180 Acronyms 185 3 Engineering for Sustainable Development Foreword Director-General of UNESCO Engineering plays a vital role in addressing basic human needs fields of engineering where engineers can contribute towards by improving our quality of life and creating opportunities realizing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. In providing examples for sustainable growth on a local, national, regional and of innovations and actions, as well as recommendations, global level. Crucially, it also contributes to UNESCO’s this report shows the relevance of the engineering profession two Global Priorities: Africa and Gender Equality. in responding to the sustainability challenge, and how inclusive and equitable education can bring about new Engineering has major potential, but we need to make even perspectives and thus respond to the shortage of engineers better use of it, especially by including girls and women. – one of the principal impediments to economic growth. Governments around the world have a responsibility to provide opportunities for all and to attract young people to consider At the dawn of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, this report engineering as a vocation and a profession. These career highlights the current technological advances in Artificial choices depend on access to quality curricula in STEM subjects, Intelligence, big data and the Internet of Things that are guidance and mentorship, access to valuable information and changing the way we live and interact with our physical, communication, and government support and scholarships. biological and digital space. These transformations can be seen in every field of engineering, profoundly affecting Addressing sustainable development within the challenges industrial systems, production and governance. of climate change, population growth and urbanization will require innovative engineering and technology-based This report was finalized and published during the global solutions. Engineering capacity and competence-building COVID-19 pandemic. Far from diminishing the relevance of activities are critical to ensuring that there is an adequate global engineering, this crisis has amplified the need for global number of engineers capable and ready to work on these global cooperation to create solutions that address the root causes challenges. This is particularly important in Africa where the of chronic and emerging environmental issues. The global per capita number of engineering professionals is lower than community has responded to the pandemic with urgency and in other regions of the world. In Swaziland for example, there efficiency, but it risks in the process to take resources away from is one engineering graduate for more than 170,000 people, efforts to address other pressing issues, such as climate change, compared to the United Kingdom where there is one engineering environmental degradation, and access to clean water and energy. graduate for 1,100 people. Addressing this knowledge gap In addition, the current pandemic has placed further strain on is vital and one of the key challenges facing engineering. engineering education. To train our best engineers to tackle The 17 Sustainable Development Goals were conceived to raise these global challenges, we need young people to study awareness of the different aspects of sustainability, outlining mathematics and science from an early age. However, the global specific targets that comprise a plan of action across a broad pandemic has led to the closure of educational institutions for range of social, environmental and technological issues from 1.5 billion learners worldwide – more than 90% of the world’s poverty reduction, health for all, infrastructure development, school population – with dire consequences for their education. education, gender equality, to the sustainable use of oceans, In the face of this educational catastrophe, UNESCO has, energy, and water and sanitation. All 17 Goals can be related to together with the Global Education Coalition, worked towards engineering and every one requires engineering to achieve its goal. ensuring the continuity of learning, particularly in science. This report, Engineering for Sustainable Development: Delivering Engineering has always been part of UNESCO. It was the intention on the Sustainable Development Goals, presents the different of the founders in November 1945 that the ‘S’ in UNESCO refers 4 Foreword | ∞ to science and technology. Indeed, UNESCO was established at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London, one of the oldest engineering institutions