There are so many challenges for engineers at present, like health, vulnerability, joy of living and sustainability (Introduction to the Grand Challenges for Engineering, www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9221.aspx). Among those four major challenges, I think sustainability is the most serious and important one.
Engineers are the links between perceived needs of society and applications. Someone said scientists were those who dream, and engineers were those who realize dreams. With engineers’ efforts, our life quality is improving all these decades. We can talk to people who are far away; we can also fly to the Mars. Cancer is to be conquered; people are living longer and longer. Life is getting easier and more entertaining. But also with the high-tech blessing, we are facing many problems, like energy crisis. The resources on the earth are limited. We should not only improve our lives, but also care for our children and our children’s children. We all can see the oil price keeps increasing since 2003, and China experienced severe energy shortages towards the end of 2005 and again in early 2008. During the later crisis they suffered severe damage to power networks along with diesel and coal shortages.
Engineers and scientists have been working on environmental friendly new resources all these years. They try to make use of solar energy, but this energy cannot be stored for long time. Some scientists use methane as a new fuel, but it would worsen greenhouse effect. The most difficult part for engineers is to find a way to solve energy crisis both economically and environmental friendly.
So in my point of view, the greatest challenge for engineering at present is sustainability. All we are doing now is to live a better future. But what if we don’t have a future? What if we don’t have enough resources to live on? Therefore, all people should working together to find a way to sustain our lives.
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