Based on article 1, I think that it is the principle of sustainable development that engineers should adhere to when they are facing grand challenges and finding solutions nowadays. From the vast cosmos to the invisible bacteria, engineers have put their talent into practice to solve countless problems. In the meantime, increasingly grand challenges spring up to threaten human. The most serious of the challenges are those that must be solved on the premise of “ensuring the future itself” (National Academy of Engineering, 2008). As we all know, it is not feasible to cut all the trees on earth to meet the human need for warmness, because it means that there would be no tree left for human tomorrow. No challenge is worth the expenses of human future to be met. Nevertheless, adhering to the principle of sustainable development is not as easy as saying. For engineers, it will add more difficulties to meet those challenges. It would cost much more time and money to find the materials which are recoverable or reproducible. Last but not least, testing the invention before it is used. Without the test process, the use of invention could have serious consequences. For example, the fridge brings convenience to human life, but the Freon which is used as refrigerating fluid is destroying ozone layer. The price that human would pay for putting the fridge into market without enough test cannot be made up by money. In conclusion, all the engineering solutions should be based on the principle of sustainable development.
References:
National Academy of Engineering. (2008, February). Introduction to grand challenges of engineering. Retrieved Jun 3, 2008, from http://engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9221/.aspx
References:
National Academy of Engineering. (2008, February). Introduction to grand challenges of engineering. Retrieved Jun 3, 2008, from http://engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9221/.aspx
