The grand challenges of engineering in the 21st century and one possible solution
Lukasz Glura, B00066080
BN903 Higher Certificate in Engineering in Mechatronics
Institute of Technology Blanchardstown
09th October 2014
Introduction
Every century engineers have tried to make people lives easier, invite new technologies that help us in our everyday lives. The 21st century is no different – there are still many problems remaining. Often living in an era of internet, smartphone’s and globalisation people don’t realize that there are many engineering problems remaining unsolved. Every day engineers from around the world are trying to solve those challenges.
According to the committee of National Academy of Engineering the century ahead poses challenges as formidable as any from millennia past. For example to make solar energy economical, provide access to clean water, engineer better medicines or reverse-engineer the brain [1]. We don’t realise that if some of the engineering problems remain unsolved it may affect our or our children’s lives in the
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Globally, total freshwater withdrawals (both surface water and groundwater) are believed to have increased by about 1% per year since the late 1980s. Global water demand in terms of water withdrawals is projected to increase by some 55% by 2050 because of growing demands from manufacturing, thermal power generation (mainly from the expansion of coal and gas powered plants), agriculture and domestic use. 768 million people remain without access to an improved source of water and 2.5 billion remain without access to improved sanitation. The United Nations High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda has indicated that 2 billion people do not have access to safe water. The number of people whose right to water is not satisfied is even greater, probably in the order of 3.5 billion
An engineer is someone who understands the world as it is, but works to make it better. They solve problems on both micro and macro scales and all sizes in between. While they endeavor to solve problems in such a way that the future isn’t compromised, this may not always be the case, thus providing employment for engineers in the future in order to solve the created problems. In this way, engineers display their obvious superior intelligence by ensuring employment for the future. At the end of the day, engineers are the on...
As several years pass to what is now the Information Age, technology is continuing to grow where human hands determine its impact. The countless ideas engineers have and the goal of creating it becomes clearer as it benefits humanity and their endeavours. An engineer’s accomplishments of surpassing the boundaries of the impossible are from the unique innovations from people’s ingenuity. An analogy of this comparison is the similarities of an idea to a seed. In relation, a seed follows a pattern to grow until they reach the point where they can sprout to life and be beneficial to society. Because society has become interdependent by technology, the outcomes shall affect not only society, but the environment also. However, various occurrences
According to the United States EPA, only one percent of all water on Earth is deemed suitable for human consumption. In a world with a continually-growing population in need of an ample water supply, the world's sources of fresh water are showing increased signs of overuse as they are emptied faster than they can be naturally refilled. In fact, over the past half-decade the demand for water has more than tripled as the watersheds across the globe have been devastated (EPA).
Whether it be the remodeling of a modern car or an improvement in the motherboard of a computer, inventing solutions and, in turn, contributing to the progression of society and technologies is an incredible feat. Throughout the course of history our world has seen a multitude of reputable inventors, from Alexander Graham Bell to Nikola Tesla, and Benjamin Franklin to Archimedes. These individuals are extremely intelligent but also have a passion and drive for innovation and problem solving. It is through much perseverance and creativity that they were able to extend technological boundaries and overcome problems that were encountered with past inventions. These individuals have developed and improved hundreds of inventions in order to
There are 80 countries that have been suffering from a lack of clean water, and two billion people lack access to freshwater, especially South Africa (Alois). This area of countries is the driest in the world - Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt and so on. Like in the book A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, Nya, who lives in Sudan, has been lacking clean water. She has to find water every day for her family. Luckily, Nya got help from Salva who used to live in Sudan and came back from America to build the water system for her village. However, there are still many people around the world that have been suffering to find clean water for basic use. There are many factors that cause a lack of clean water around the world: geography of countries, deforestation,
An estimated 1.6 billion people around the world live in regions of economic water scarcity, with 780 million of these people living in areas with no basic water facilities. Economic water scarcity means that investments in water resources and relevant human labour forces are not substantial enough to meet water demands in an area where the population does not have the financial means to make use of an adequate water source on their own. Economic water scarcity is about an unequal distribution of resources for many reasons, including political and cultural conflict. Symptoms of economic water scarcity include lack of infrastructure development, causing people to have trouble getting enough water for agriculture or even basic sanitation and
Water is not a want but a necessary human right people need in order to survive. However, there are about 660 million people in the world that do not have access to safe water. There are also, an estimate of, 2.4 million people who do not have an accessible toilet. In order to get the water needed, many people have to find hours every day collecting water. Due to this education and commerce become harder and less of a priority, a community cannot thrive when there safe water is lacking. By providing safe water and sanitation for those who do not have it they believe they can achieve global equality and make a better and brighter future for
Engineering is the cornerstone for human development. Engineers are problem solvers who search for quicker, better, cheaper, and more efficient ways to solve problems. Engineers use their knowledge in mathematics and natural sciences to produce and enhance modern technology. It combines different subsets of mathematics, science, and technology. The profession applies scientific theory to design, develop, and analyze technological solutions. It is generally accepted that the four major branches of engineering are mechanical, civil, chemical, and electrical. There are numerous other divisions derived from the concentrations, combinations, or extensions of the major
2.1 billion people in countries that are undergoing a form of urbanization have inaccessibility to clean drinking water as a result of pollution, poverty and poor management of resources. Water resources are being depleted by agriculture and energy production
Every year about 5 million people die from a water related crisis. Whether it be dirty water or no water at all. People who live in countries like the United States of America don 't think about the growing water problem. Most of them have all the water they could ever ask for, but that 's not the case in most countries around the world. 1.2 billion people in the world don 't have clean drinking water. In third world countries usually the woman and children are the ones left without any clean drinking water. Everyone has the right to have clean drinking water and sanitation. People all around the world take advantage of the water they get when people in other countries are dying because they have no clean drinking water. The global water crisis
UNDP, 2006. Human Development Report: Coping with water scarcity. Challenge of the twenty-first century., s.l.: UN-Water, FAO, 2007.
Water has become a very controversial issue in the United States and around the world. As populations increase and resources decrease, the way we use our resources and keep populations safe become more and more important. Throughout the world there are nearly 1.1 billion people who do not have access the clean drinking water. 5 Most of these 1.1 billion people are located in poor areas and do not have the financial means to build the infrastructures needed to provide water to the citizens of their country. 5 Drinking water is an essential part of our everyday life. People must have water to survive, but it must be clean and safe to consume.
Freshwater in the world makes up only a small portion of water on the planet. While the percentage of water in the world is nearly 70%, only 2.5% is consumable. Even further, only <1% is easily accessible to basic human needs. According to National Geographic, “by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change.” With this current trend, water will become more immersed in environmental, economic, political, and social changes. Many of these in later years shall need to be addressed as tension rises:
The problem of water scarcity has increasingly spread throughout the world as of yet, The UN reports that within the next half- century up to 7 billion people in 60 countries which is more than the whole present population will face water scarcity (Sawin “Water Scarcity could Overwhelm the Next Generation”). As well the demand for freshwater has tripled over the past 50 years, and is continuing to rise as a result of population growth and economic development. 70% of this demand derives from agriculture which shows the influence of water on food supply globally as well not just drinking water (Sawin “Water Scarcity could overwhelm the Next Generation”). But increasing water use is not just a matter of the greater number of people needing it to drink and eat; it also comes from pollution and misuse of water supplies, by either dumping or runoff of bacteria or chemicals into water. This also “causes other pollutions as well such as soil and air pollution, accelerating wetland damage and human caused global warming” (Smith and Thomassey 25). According to UN report, recent estimates suggest that climate change will account for about 20 percent of the increase in global water scarcity in coming decades.
According to CQ Researcher’s Cooper “More than a billion people around the world lack access to safe drinking water and their numbers are growing”(Water Shortage). Is it fair that so many people must go without water while thousands of gallons are wasted here in the United States? Cooper in addition commented that “unlike the vast majority of natural resources water often is seen as a free commodity like the air we breathe” (Water Shortage). Without seeing water as something worth conserving, we literally pour away our most valuable resource. We can not afford this; water shortages already ravage the majority of the world: “If per-capita water consumption continues to rise at current rates, humans will take more than 90 percent of all available fresh water by 2025, leaving only 10 percent of the earth’s fresh water for all animals and plants on the planet” (Cooper, Water Shortage). Even the water that is available to humans is often not clean enough to safely drink: “Outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases kill 10 million people each year” (Cooper, Water Quality). Cooper acknowledged that“1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water...