Civil Engineering encompasses an array of sub-disciplines, but the one that I expect to focus on is Environmental. Civil and Environmental Engineering coincide and cannot exist without the other, without an environment that provides resources and land to build and maintain our infrastructure with our communities would fail . I feel strongly towards this discipline because it protects the environment of the communities we live in, the safety and well-being of the people that live in it, and lead to economic benefits that will continue the growth of not only the US’s economy, but around the world. As the world's population continues to grow exponentially we extract raw materials to build the roads, bridges, and waterways we use daily, but the …show more content…
A major premise of the subdiscipline of environmental engineering is to keep the water free of harmful chemicals and debris used in infrastructure projects and this is directly related to the public’s health. 11% of childhood deaths are directly related to not having potable drinking water[3]. This is due to contaminants either from sanitation discrepancies from sewage issues or the detrimental effects of the pollutants we are adding to the air and therefore through the water cycle eventually into the water .It is estimated that 12,000 people die prematurely because of the pollutants that exist in our air, the main cause is CO2 emissions, which if we took more of an environmental approach when designing means of transportation and and relied heavily on mass transit, we could reduce this immensely.[4] If we are able to effectively reduce pollutants added to the air and water, we will continue to increase the lifespan of humans and reduce deaths that are easily avoided through well designed and environmentally friendly engineering …show more content…
Although the environment does not normally appear to be related to economic growth, executed properly environmentally friendly engineering projects will benefit the monetary funds put aside for keeping our environment to par. An example of this is using environmentally friendly membranes and separation methods of landfills, which will provide a greater output of methane leading to natural gas that can be reused rather than squandered and released back into the atmosphere to cause further harm[5]. It takes a lot of reserved funds to remove pollutants from the air and water we rely on, so if we take efforts to stop the pollutants before the harm is done we will be saving our money to be used in other helpful ways. We would be able to remove 450 million tons of CO2 that would be emitted into our air if we converted to a 20% renewable energy share, and not only would renewable energy being inserted into our engineering plans save us the money of removing the pollutants, but it would make our country as a whole more diverse and less reliant on fossil fuels that are slowly diminishing[5]. I am interested in the sub discipline of environmental engineering because it leads to beneficial advancements for not only our health and economy, but also allowing us to continue to live on this planet for generations by restricting raw material usage, methods to reuse byproducts, and
... removing and/or stopping the pollution that is emitted into the air from large refineries or factories. In fact, the essay claims that “Of several techniques to remove pollution during industrial coal combustion, perhaps the most effective is ‘scrubbing,’ in which gases are washed in a desulphurizing bath before going into the atmosphere.” This is informative because it shows that there is a way control acid rain. Similarly, the essay stated many different ways in which everyday people could help control the amount of pollution that is discharged into the air. A solution like carpooling so that the amount of pollutants that are emitted into the air are lowered is just one of the many ways discussed in the essay for society to lower the pollution in the air. The informative way in which Robert Collins presented his idea’s added to the effectiveness of the essay.
increasing the supply of renewable energy would allow us to replace carbon-intensive energy sources and significantly reduce U.S. global warming emissions… a 25 percent by 2025 national renewable electricity standard would lower power plant CO2 emissions 277 million metric tons annually by 2025—the equivalent of the annual output from 70 typical (600 MW) new coal plants (“Benefits of Renewable Energy
Pollution is a major problem for all of us. People need to recognize this situation so we can start making a difference to this problem. In order to start making a difference, the federal government should increase gasoline tax by one dollar a gallon. Fifty percent of this dollar will go towards public transportation, since passenger cars and trucks are a major contribution towards air pollution, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, E.P.A (10/4, http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/emsns.html). Due to the expected increase after this is put forth, the remaining fifty percent of the dollar will go towards safety on these transits. When public transportation increases, air pollution will decrease, which will lessen the harmful health risks towards the environment.
As our world becomes increasingly globalized, numerous people travel to urban areas in search of economic prosperity. As a consequence of this cities in periphery countries expand at rates of 4 to 7 percent annually. Many cities offer entrepreneurs the potential for resources, labor, and resources. With prosperity cities also allow the freedom to of a diversity of way of life and manners (Knox & Marston, 2012). However, in the quest to be prosperous, increasing burdens are placed on our health and the condition of our environment. These burdens are amplified as the area is further urbanized; increasing demands for fossilized fuels, food, water, and property for additional urban construction. The impact of industrialization has transformed human life and produced extensive ecological deviations. In order to understand how the environmental impacts of ever expanding industrialized technology might linger to impact our health and that of our environment, offers facts that should be studied. This paper suggests that extra research be conducted to enhance perception concerning advancing modern technology disadvantageous consequences on the safety of humans and their surrounding environment.
To a person walking down the street in downtown Indianapolis, he may be a hero because of his occupation, a civil engineer. What can a civil engineer do that is so heroic? For one, he designs the cities’ sewage system. People in the city cannot comprehend how vital it is to constitute a correctly piped sewage system. His designs transfer the cities’ waste to a safe place, so it can decompose in peace, and not endanger our health or our environment. He is not only protecting the Earth from harmful materials, he is also keeping our water clean a...
Pollution is affecting many individuals and life, as we know it. We need to do something about how it’s affecting our world. That’s why I urge the issue that more people should realize that pollution is an issue that needs to be prevented because of its negative consequences. Which are health affects, the total destruction of environments, and the death of animals and plants. More awareness must be brought up amongst the people and they must realize the long-term benefits it has for the world.
Technology is increasing exponentially, and now I am a part of that ‘future’. When I look into my future, I see myself working toward the minimization of the human imprint in our world more specifically energy consumption. Being an Electrical Engineer, clean energy is an area that I am deeply passionate about. We are part of an ecosystem which is threatened every day by our wastes. Yes! We do use recycling, wind turbines, and hydraulics, but we need to take advantage of these to produce cleaner energy. To get closer to my passion, I will master in Mechanical Engineering so that I can have a clear understanding of the interactions of electronics and their mechanics. I believe every engineer should take some type of environmental courses to understand the direct effects of engineering in our surroundings. Therefore, one my academic goals is to study the environment so that when I create something I have thought of the ways it may impact nature. When I imagine my finish line, I see myself working alongside others who want to build a greener planet, who want to see oil-free oceans, and who can coexist with nature. I believe that engineering is the way to move towards this future and it is the reason why I decided to pursue it. In H.A.C.U, I will meet people who share similar views as me, who are willing to collaborate ideas,
Evo Morales stated, “Sooner or later, we will have to recognize that the Earth has rights too, to live without pollution. What mankind must know is that human beings cannot live without Mother Earth, but the planet can live without humans” (Pollution Quotes, 2013). Hence, attention must be provided to this devastating issue. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that causes adverse changes (Wieman, 2013). There are numerous types of pollution, such as light, air, land, water, noise, thermal and radioactive pollution. In an article, the author highlighted that according to Richard Buckminster Fuller, “Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting, we allow them to disperse because we’ve been ignorant of their value” (Farrell, 1971, p. 52). Pollution is created mostly by human actions, but can also be a result of natural disasters. Pollution can harm the environment of the world and its inhabitants in many ways. Pollution has a detrimental effect on any living organism in an environment, making it virtually impossible to sustain life (Enclyopedia - Pollution, 2008).
In traditional opinions, environmental protection and economic growth are mutually contradictory. Economic growth is a high environmental cost, and protecting the environment will limit the economic growth. The reason of contradiction stems from the inappropriate understandings among development, economic growth and environmental protection. In fact, economic growth could have a harmonious relationship with environmental protection.
The civil engineering field is about gathering and interpreting data, being able to give technical presentations to colleagues, team work to design and build a project, projects range from the design and construction of dams, bridges, buildings, roads, and water supply systems. In most cases the works of engineers are admired and sought after. Engineers play an important role in the development and improvement of a society. Yet, like other technical and non-engineering careers the civil engineers also face issues, for example, regarding ethics, high energy building consumption, increased soil and coastal erosion, inadequate water quality, traffic congestion, and some poor infrastructures resilience to disasters. Another example is that unfortunately in the United Kingdom, the civil engineering industry is highly fragmented with 93% of companies having 14 or fewer employees which is not always a great idea, as written by John Miles in Civil Engineering Informatics. There is also a need to implement new professional and educational approaches to new challenges and new implications that are needed for the twenty-first century society. This paper will introduce and explain five different issues that civil engineers are currently facing and elaborate about how these challenges interrelate to each other.
...ffects on human health. These have high negative effects on low income areas, as a result of pollution, visual, oral and air, as well as high levels of overcrowding. The World Health Organisation predicts that in the next 30years most of the world’s population growth will occur in cities and towns of poor countries. This rapid, unplanned and unsustainable pattern of urbanisation, is creating cities into focal points for environmental and health hazards (World Medical Association, 2010).
The developed world rarely pauses to think of the prevalent necessity of energy in our lives. As the global population nears 9 billion people in 2040 (1), we are not only challenged to provide for basic needs, but to also improve living standards worldwide. These challenges require a global energy increase of approximately 35% (1). The challenge may seem intimidating, but the human race has demonstrated an exceptional ability to overcome difficulties and progress. An important aspect to improve worldwide living standards involves the environment. The most important needs in many areas of the world are cleaner air and access to cleaner water. Nations need to continue to address risks associated with rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Protecting the environment and preventing these increases pose technological challenges for us today as well as the generations of the future. To overcome these challenges it is going to be necessary for many engineers of many disciplines to be involved. However the most significant problem we face is to produce this energy in a sustainable manner. Achieving this sustainability is a matter of using processes that are less wasteful, developing technologies that are more efficient, and finding cleaner energy sources. My motivation for pursuing the MSc in Mechanical Engineering with a track of Sustainable Energy and Process Technology (SPET) is that I believe that this program will give me the skills, education, networks, and contact with industry necessary to be able to make a difference in the world’s constant search for increasingly sustainable energy sources. Additionally I have always found the concepts of process optimization to reduce generation of waste and contaminants, fluid mechanics, ther...
Every other day a new industries are being set up, new vehicles on roads and trees are being cut to make way for new homes. All of them, indirect way lead to increase in CO2 leads to melting of polar ice caps which increase the sea level and pose danger for the people living near coastal areas. Pollution can have an impact in our health not only affects people with impaired respiratory system such as asthmatics, but very healthy adults and children too. Exposure to pollution for 6 to 7 hours, even at relatively low concentrations, reduces lung function and induces respiratory inflammation and, healthy people during periods of moderate
Throughout my lifetime, I have never had to think very much about the working world and everything that went with it. All through high school I took classes I liked or thought would be interesting to me, but never thought that all of those classes were preparing me for what was to come. Before I knew it, it was time to go to college. The four years of high school had flown by and now it was time to choose a major for college. I had never given much thought as to what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. The only real occupations that I had really gotten to experience were teaching, the jobs that my parents had, and others such as doctors, dentist, most of the occupations that everyone sees while they are growing up. When I finally decided on my major, I chose engineering, but I didn’t know if I would like it or not. The only prior knowledge I had about it was the fact that my grandfather was an electrical and chemical engineer, and that my parents and teachers said that I would be good at engineering. Recently I have been interested in civil engineering, but what does one do with such a degree? What opportunities are available to a person with a degree in civil engineering on the job market? The broad curriculum that covers many different fields of engineering make civil engineering a major that allows a person to work in nearly any field they wish.
Are you aware of the detrimental impacts that we have had on our environment? Every second, the Earth is being polluted by poisonous gases, waste products and due to human activities, the world’s climate is dramatically changing. In other words, these impacts do not only harm our environment but also our health. It has been scientifically proven that air pollution causes respiratory diseases and cancer, due to the inhalation of all the harmful chemicals. Water pollution can also lead to typhoid, diarrheal diseases and other waterborne disease, due to the intake of bacteria and parasites. Many people have died due to these health-related illnesses. So why are we still living in this awful condition? Air sustains us and water is a basic necessity, so we should do what we can to prevent pollution. In short, we should protect our environment to ensure a healthy life a...