Civil Engineers and Future Environmental Policies

Abstract

The nation has achieved substantial progress over the past 30 years in improving environmental conditions throughout the United States. Civil engineers have played leadership roles in achieving this progress. Today, there is considerable discussion about the direction and means of achieving further environmental protection. Civil engineers have both an obligation and a right to participate in these discussions. But obligations and rights will not ensure that engineers exert leadership and a positive influence on these key policy discussions. The profession must take a close look at how it can most effectively participate in the policy debates that will shape the future of environmental policy. This paper examines the roles that civil engineers can play in formulation of environmental policy. It suggests that civil engineers build on their strengths of design of the environment grounded in physical science, by analyzing the entire environmental management system, thinking in terms of outcomes, and considering a broad range of alternatives. The paper suggests that civil engineers need to attend more closely to sustainable development and pollution prevention as substantive areas for engagement beyond the traditional design of waste treatment systems.