Climate Change and Sustainable Engineering

InstRE Sustainability Forum

The idea that we can engineer and construct solutions in isolation from nature and the planet itself has long been dismissed.  The following content delves into the impact and solutions that engineering developments can have on the health of the planet and the security of its inhabitants.

Following a growing interest in this area by Royal Engineers across the ranks and the Institutions membership, in February 2021 the Institution of Royal Engineers placed forward a proposal to create Sustainability Forum.  So, the first question you may be asking what is the Sustainability Forum, what will it do, and we hope how can I take a part in it? Read the full article here. 

Mission statement
To reduce the militaries environmental impact by placing collaborative research and sustainable practises at the heart of our business as usual.

Vision statement
To drive military engineers to the forefront of sustainable practises at home and on operations.

Engineering for People Design Challenge – CPD and Education Opportunity

Net Zero Engineering

What is NetZero and why is it so important?

Put simply, net zero means we are not adding new emissions to the atmosphere. Emissions will continue, but will be balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.

Practically every country has joined the Paris Agreement on climate change, which calls for keeping the global temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial era levels. If we continue to pump out the emissions that cause climate change, however, temperatures will continue to rise well beyond 1.5, to levels that threaten the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere.  This is why a growing number of countries are making commitments to achieve carbon neutrality, or “net zero” emissions within the next few decades. It’s a big task, requiring ambitious actions starting right now.

Net zero by 2050 is the goal. But countries also need to demonstrate how they will get there. Efforts to reach net-zero must be complemented with adaptation and resilience measures, https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition

Engineering Zero is a collective campaign positioned around COP26 to advance and promote the crucial contribution engineers can make in response to the need for urgent action on climate change. It’s designed to represent and bring together the whole engineering profession and we are making good progress on the following core campaign activities:

• Production of a series of “net zero transition” videos to promote engineering insight and expertise to government and other stakeholders.
• Production of a series of “engineering stories” videos to highlight what engineers do within key net zero areas and raise awareness of the role of engineering plays, especially to young people.
• Launch of a pan-profession initiative to accelerate the transformation of engineering education and skills provision in line with the demands of net zero.

To help promote the case for the latter, we have just published a new blog post, Preparing future engineers for the net zero challenge, in which Professor Roger Kemp MBE FREng argues that a fresh approach is needed in engineering education in order to support tomorrow’s engineers in managing the complex zero carbon systems of the future.

Do you have what it takes to make a Net Zero world, why not take on the challenge.   The Climate Game — Can you reach net zero? (ft.com)’

Articles and Events

What are the implications of climate change on military operations and how must engineering adapt?

This year the Joint Professional Meeting (JPM) between the Institution of Royal Engineers (InstRE) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) will consider the impact of climate change on military operations.

The significant recent rise in weather extremes, United Kingdom flooding and associated disruption are all by-products of climate change; the JPM will provide a platform to discuss new climate resilience demands and what these mean for operations and military engineering.

The worldwide pandemic has demonstrated how the engineering profession is able to respond rapidly to new challenges; the impact of climate change requires a fundamental adjustment now in order to adapt to the transformed environment as we concurrently build back better post COVID-19.

Presentations will examine the new challenges being faced by the engineering profession as a result of climate change, the resilience measures needed, how the military is preparing to tackle the new threats, and what the future may hold. The meeting will culminate in a Panel Question and Answer.