November 2007 Mechanical Engineering: Editorial

editorial

not a matter of choice

By
John G. Falcioni,
Editor-in-Chief

In January of 1986 the polar explorer Robert Swan reached the South Pole. In 1989 he arrived on the North Pole, making him the first human to walk to both poles. His bountiful stories of leadership and courage are fascinating, and beyond the realm of comprehension for those of us who complain about snow on our cars in the winter.

But it wasn't just Swan's stories of heroics in the face of peril that stirred our small group in Brussels last month as we listened intently. Swan also spoke of changes he has seen to the white and wondrous landscapes he's explored through repeated expeditions. The ice caps, Swan said, are melting.

I heard Swan speak at a forum organized by the engineering software maker Autodesk Inc. to discuss issues of global climate change and explore ways of addressing it through sus-tainable design. A day later, we were at the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in the Belgian capital, where, on a wall just below the vaulted ceiling, a movie played, shot through the lens of a microscope, depicting the demise of plankton.

It was clear: From plankton on the ocean floor to polar bears in the far north and seals in the far south, global warming has begun changing life on Earth.

At the BOZAR Centre, curator Randy Rosenberg led us on a tour of a thought-provoking exhibit called Envisioning Change, which is a touring exhibit of the Natural World Museum featuring innovative artists who aim to engage the public in environmental awareness. The artists told us how their experiences shaped their artwork and their passion to protect the globe.

But our exchange with the artists wasn't political in nature, as might be expected, nor was it with Robert Swan, or with the participants in a symposium, "Creative Approaches to Climate Change," that brought designers, writers, and conservationists together to discuss how to foster a deeper understanding of the causes and effects of climate change.

"Sustainable design is a response to the need to change the relationship between buildings, products, and the environment," said Autodesk president and CEO Carl Bass. "We're all learning how to do this together. It will take time to achieve it, but it's imperative that we do."

Bass is right: It is important, and the topic transcends political philosophies. However, we may not have as much time as we think to address these issues. In a major report to be published this month by the United Nations, Tim Flannery, a climate change scientist from Australia, says that the global economic boom has accelerated greenhouse gas emissions to a dangerous threshold not expected for a decade, and this could potentially cause irreversible climate change. Flannery says that new data in the report, "Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change," indicates that the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is already above the threshold that could potentially cause dangerous climate change.

Last month, online, we asked readers what they thought "sustainable manufacturing" means most to business. A majority of respondents said it is reducing energy consumption in manufacturing.

Right now, the concerns and questions surrounding climate change outnumber the solutions and strategies for efficient sustainable engineering, design, and manufacturing practices. Getting serious about finding effective alternatives to what we're doing now and implementing those initiatives as soon as possible is no longer a choice.