Thursday 12 January 2017

Reflections from a Sustainability Study Day

This week, I was published on the ICE Civil Engineer blog explaining how engineers can use our development action plans and CPD records to grow our own careers and serve society better. I have written previously about the challenges within my discipline to adapt to the increased frequency and impact of extreme weather events, as illustrated in this article from Iain McKenzie reflecting on the challenges of maintaining earthworks for Welsh roads (“Can we make it rain less in Wales, or maybe flatten out some of those pesky mountains? If not, are we headed for a managed decline in performance?")
But when engineers talk about climate change, we have a tendency to focus on adapting to its effects rather than addressing the root cause, so a key objective for me this year is to improve my understanding of low carbon and energy saving solutions which are applicable to the rail sector.