ENGINEERING, ECOLOGY, AND ECONOMICS

Engineering Ethics
Ivan Gonzales Morana BSIE-3B

Engineering, Ecology and Economics

Like the word ethics, the expression of environmental ethics can have several meaning. We use the expression to refer to (1) the study of moral issues concerning the environmental, and (2) moral perspectives, beliefs, and attitudes concerning those issues.

The Invisible Hand and the Commons

Two metaphors have dominated thinking about the environment: the invisible hand and the tragedy of the commons.

1st Metaphor Positive Side in the Economy and Environmental aspects. The invisible hand serves as the motivational drive for a person to get their owninterest.

2nd Metaphor Take account of the damage to the environment People tend to be thoughtless about things they do not own individually and which seem to be unlimited supply.

Engineers: Sustainable Development

Ali Ansari a scholar in India. Suggests that there is a standard
engineering worldwide that of mechanical universe. ,which is at odd with mainstream organic environmental thought.

central of the engineering view is technothink, which implicitly assumes that things can be understood by analyzing them and, if something goes wrong, can be fixed.
green philosophydemands humility, respect, and sensitivity towards the natural world.

The U.S environmental movement that emerged from the 1960s began a social transformation that has influenced engineers as much as other populations, and more than most profession. Furthermore, there is no single canonical professional attitude or philosophical green attitude. Engineering Code of Ethics explicitly refer to environmental responsibilities under the heading of sustainable development.

Engineers should be committed to improving the environment to chance the quality of life.

Sustainable Development
Negatively - the term was
invented to underscore how current patterns of economic activity and growth cannot be sustained as population grow, technologies are extended to developing countries, and the environment is increasingly Positively - the term implies the crucial need for new harmed. economic patterns and products that are sustainable, that is compatible with both ongoing technological development and protection of the environment.

Corporations: Environmental Leadership

In the present climate, it is good business for a corporation to be perceived by the public as environmentally responsible, indeed as a leader in finding creative solutions. Example : Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF), which provides
solar energy in developing countries, beginning with rural areas in South Africa and China. Neville Williams who founded SELF

Government: Technology Assessment

Government laws and regulations are understandably the lighting rod in environmental controversies. Few would question the need for the force of law in setting firm guidelines regarding the degradation of the commons, especially in limiting the excesses of self-seeking while establishing fair rules to play by.
U.S Congress had an Office of Technology Assessment which prepares studies in the social and environmental effects of technology in areas. - nuclear war - health care - cashless trading - pollution That need to be complemented by good-faith commitments of engineer and their corporations.

Example:

Communities: Preventing Natural Disaster

Communities at the local and even state level special responsibility, as well, for preventing natural events such as hurricanes, floods, fires, and earthquakes from becoming disasters. There are four sets of measures
communities can take to avert or mitigate disaster.
1st set of defense measures consist of restrictions or requirements
imposed on human habitat. 2nd set, strengthening the lifelines for essential utilities such as water and electricity. 3rd set encompasses special-purpose defensive structures. 4th set, should assure safe exits in the form of roads and passages designed as escape routes .

Market Mechanisms: Internalizing Cost

Democratic controls take many forms beyond passing laws. One such option is internalizing cost of harm to the environment. When we are told how efficient and cheap
many of our products and processes are from agriculture to the manufacturing products. Only DIRECT FACTORS are usually included such as cost of labor, raw materials, and the use of facilities. But INDIRECT FACTORS must be considered, such as the effects of pollution, the depletion of energy and raw materials disposal, and social costs.

If these, or an approximation of them, were internalized then those for whose benefit the environmental degradation had occurred could be charged directly for corrective action.

Social Activists
Underscore the importance of social activism by concerned citizens in raising public awareness.
EXAMPLE: Rachel Carsons book Silent Spring was a catalyst of environmental movement. She made a compelling case that pesticides were killing creatures beyond their intended target insects.

Carson had a scientific credibility, having earned a bachelors degree in biology and a masters degree in zoology and then spending a career working for the Fish and Wildlife Service.

THE END

Thank You for Listening :)))